Alexa Viscius
Big Thief have pulled out of two upcoming live shows in Israel and issued an apology for the “recklessness and naivete” of a statement they had previously shared defending the booking.
Backlash to Big Thief's decision to play two shows in Tel Aviv in July began over the weekend with multiple social media users calling the band out for seemingly ignoring the BDS cultural boycott of Israel. The group announced the live dates alongside a statement in which it was explained that bass player Max Oleartchik was born in the city and currently resides there. The statement, which the band also shared in 2020 ahead of planned dates in Israel, stated that they didn't claim to "know where the moral high ground lies" in the Israel-Palestine conflict and that they wanted to find "love beyond disagreement."
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In a new statement shared on Thursday, Big Thief walked back these claims and confirmed they will no longer be playing in Israel next month. “Our intent in wanting to play the shows in Tel Aviv, where Max was born, raised, and currently lives, stemmed from a simple belief that music can heal,” the band said. “We now recognize that the shows we had booked do not honor that sentiment." They went on to add: "We oppose the illegal occupation and the systematic oppression of the Palestinian people." See the post in full on Instagram.
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) have welcomed the band's decision, telling Pitchfork that they "salute Big Thief’s courage and their willingness to listen to the oppressed." However, a spokesperson for Barby, the Tel Aviv venue the band were due to play, has criticized the band and labelled them "cowards."
