Multiple artists pull out of SXSW London over attendance of Tony Blair and David Cameron

Multiple artists have cancelled their performances at SXSW London, citing concerns over the festival's panel speakers Tony Blair and David Cameron.

English singer Sam Akpro, who was meant to perform on June 2, posted a statement on Instagram urging other artists to "avoid artwashing".

"SXSW is using smaller and minority artists to push information and ideologies that I do not align with myself," Sam Akpro's statement read.

 

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SXSW London is not only a music, film, and gaming festival but also hosts talks and panel discussions. Both former UK prime minister Tony Blair, who spoke about AI and government on the first day of the festival (June 2), and David Cameron, who gave a talk on next-generation healthcare in the UK yesterday (June 3), were not on the published line-up.

A document which listed Blair and Cameron as attendees was leaked to the public a week before the festival's start on June 2.

NEW: Leaked documents suggest SXSW London festival will next week host unannounced talks by war criminal Tony Blair on ‘Government and AI’ and NHS butcher David Cameron on ‘Healthcare Revolution’ pic.twitter.com/IOsVGMTPev

— Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) May 26, 2025

After seeing the document, artists Rat Party, Saliah, and Sam Akpro pulled out of the event, calling it an "act of artwashing" and "deceptive".

Rat Party took to Instagram to announce that they too would be pulling out of their performance on June 3.

"Despite some really constructive dialogue and action ... we've been made aware of new leaked information that indicates that the festival will be going forward with panel talks involving the likes of Tony Blair (a known war criminal) and David Cameron," they said.

 

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A post shared by Rat Party (@rat._.party)

An SXSW London spokesperson has given a statement to NME, saying that "SXSW London​ respects everyone’s views and positions and aims to create an open, diverse space for debate and discussion."

The spokesperson added that the "inclusion of speakers does not represent an endorsement of any particular viewpoint." .

SXSW London 2025 is the first UK version of the popular American festival and is running until June 7. Headliners include Mabel, Sasha Keable, NAO, Alice Glass, and Idris Elba.

Last year, SXSW in Texas also prompted controversy, due to sponsorship from the US Army and defence contractor RTX Corporation, resulting in big acts like Kneecap, Lambrini Girls, and Scowl cancelling their gigs.

Since then, SXSW has dropped RTX Corporation as a sponsor.