God Is An Astronaut: Irish band caught up in Turkey's attack on rock bands

The Irish rock outfit God Is An Astronaut have been caught up in the controversial banning of rock bands in Turkey.

The authorities in Istanbul officially banned concerts by two rock bands – Slaughter to Prevail and Behemoth – after they were accused of “satanism” by Islamists.

The Besiktas district governor's office explained the cancellation of the concerts by claiming that the scheduled gigs had caused a public reaction, accusing the bands of "incompatibility with our societal values."

However, Hot Press has exclusively learned that the Wicklow band God Is An Astronaut – having travelled to Istanbul to play – were also told at extremely short notice that their gigs were cancelled.

God Is An Astronaut.

"We are deeply disappointed that our scheduled performance in Istanbul will not be going ahead as planned,” the bands guitarist Torsten Kinsella told Hot Press. "We travelled to perform and were fully prepared for the show. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, the event has been postponed.”

The Wicklow-based band firmly reject any suggestion that their music – which is all instrumental – is offensive to anyone’s values.

"God Is An Astronaut is an Irish instrumental band,” Torsten added. "Our intention has always been to create atmospheric, cinematic music that connects people across borders.”

Opposition to the concerts was apparently led by the Yeni Akit newspaper, which is often considered a mouth-piece for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The paper demanded that the concerts should be banned in an article given the headline: “The satanist children of the devil are arriving in Istanbul.”

In the article, it was claimed that the bands – Slaughter to Prevail and Behemoth – had previously been banned in Russia and Poland respectively: “For having spread satanic propaganda and poisoned the spirit of young people.”

Slaughter To Prevail were formed in Russia but now live in the United States, while Behemoth are from Poland.

The groups, the Yeni Akit writer added, “Promote satanism through their writing and visuals representing the devil."

While the move to ban rock bands, deemed to dabble in so-called ‘Satanic’ imagery or lyrics, is a reflection of the increasingly conservative drift in Turkish society, God Is An Astronaut fully intend to return to the sprawling country with a population of 86million.

But first they face a huge 3,600km drive in deteriorating weather conditions.

"We are grateful to our Turkish fans for their continued support and understanding,” the Irish band said. "We sincerely hope to return in the future and perform in a safe and positive environment for everyone.”

Amen to that...