Electric Picnic festival director promises "mics won't be switched off" for activist musicians this weekend

Electric Picnic festival director Melvin Benn has condemned actions taken against KNEECAP and other artists who speak out for Palestine, promising "mics won't be switched off" at performances this weekend.

Speaking to reporters at an Electric Picnic preview event today, Benn opened with a discussion of KNEECAP's upcoming Main Stage show. The Belfast trio have faced a series of gig cancellations for what they said are part of "campaigns of attempted censorship" against artists who speak out about Gaza, but are set to go ahead smoothly this weekend.

"Adding KNEECAP was a really important statement for us," said Benn, adding, "Musically, they're fantastic, but in terms of what's going on in the world, it's really important that they are here adding their voice."

Benn referenced the band's 2018 headliner on the Hazelwood Stage, stating the festival has had "a long history with KNEECAP and we're glad that they're back."

When asked about policies on KNEECAP's performance given their non-livestreamed Glastonbury show earlier this year, Benn said criticism of the band is baseless.

"They're brilliant live, but they've also got really important messages," Benn said.

"They didn't do anything wrong at Glastonbury. It's yet to be proved whether they've done anything wrong anywhere else anywhere in the world. They're on home territory here, and I think they'll be really relaxed and the crowd will be really appreciative of them."

He added, "mics won't be switched off" — a cheeky jab at last weekend's Victorious festival, where The Mary Wallopers' audio was cut mid-set after they displayed a Palestinian flag and chanted "free Palestine."

"It was shocking, what happened to The Mary Wallopers," Benn said.

"It was absolutely shocking. I'm glad that a number of artists ended up withdrawing as a result of it. And it definitely won't be my policy."

Also last weekend, KNEECAP's Paris gig was briefly interrupted by demonstrators blowing whistles and waving anti-KNEECAP flags. Hot Press asked Benn about any protocols in place to handle any instances of protest against the artists.

"We have protocols in place to handle all sorts of things, but I don't anticipate people protesting about KNEECAP," Benn said.

Benn mentioned that KNEECAP is on his list of acts to see as a punter this weekend. Various other artists at the Electric Picnic preview day said the same, including Dublin rapper KhakiKid and Doireann Ní Ghlacáin of bilingual podcast How to Gael.

More reporting from Electric Picnic preview day to come.