Field Day issues statement following artist boycott over ties to KKR: “We had no say”
It follows a boycott and the publishing of an open letter asking the festival to distance itself from the investments of KKR
Field Day has issued a statement following a recently published open letter asking the festival to distance itself from the investments of KKR, and a subsequent artist boycott which has seen more than 15 artists pull from this year’s line-up.
Earlier this week, femme collective Sisu Crew announced that they would be pulling from Field Day’s 2025 bill in boycott of its ties to KKR, the parent company of its owner, Superstruct.
The move was shortly followed by artists including Midland, Roza Terenzi, Spray and Regularfantasy yesterday (May 14), with Voices Radio and Corsica Studios both announcing their removal from the festival earlier today (May 15).
Read this next: Midland, Roza Terenzi, and more, join Sisu Crew in pulling out of Field Day in boycott of KKR ownership
It comes just weeks after an open letter was published to Field Day, calling on the festival to publicly distance itself from the investments of KKR, which include stakes in weapons manufacturing companies, the Coastal GasLink pipeline, and a number of Israeli corporations that operate in occupied Palestinian territories.
Field Day has now issued a statement in response to the artist boycott and open letter, writing: “First of all, please allow us to apologise for taking this long to respond to the recently published open letter and to release a public statement.”
“Through many challenging times, various venues and several changes of ownership, Field Day has never compromised on those ambitions and values, putting on the best show we can in the way we always have.”
It continued: “By partnering with Superstruct Entertainment in April 2023, the future of the festival and its creative and operational independence were secured – the ownership changed but not the ethos. Since then, as has been reported, they have been bought by KKR, of which we had no say in, which has prompted a passionate discussion.”
Read this next: Brian Eno, Ben UFO and Jyoty sign open letter calling on Field Day to distance itself from KKR
Field Day added that it “recognises the strength of feeling of the artists involved and the fans who attend”, and that it remains in “full creative control” with “unchanged” values.
“We know there will be many of you out there who are hurt and angry about this situation. We hope that this helps you to understand the position of the festival team,” it adds.
The open letter, published last month, was penned by a coalition of DJs, led by femme collective Sisu Crew, and received over 230 signatures from artists including Brian Eno, Jyoty, Ben UFO, Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja, and many more.
Read the full statement from Field Day below.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter