The Mary Wallopers at Victorious: Vampire Weekend, The Last Dinner Party, Cliffords voice support for Dundalk band after set was cut off

Vampire Weekend and The Last Dinner Party are among the bands voicing support for The Mary Wallopers, whose performance at the Victorious festival was cut short after they displayed a Palestinian flag.

Organisers of the Portsmouth-based festival initially claimed the Dundalk band's set was cut short for using a "discriminatory" chant. In a later statement, they said that a no-flags policy was in place.

The Mary Wallopers argued the first statement was "misleading" and posted a video of the performance, in which a festival employee walked on stage during their first song and spoke to bassist Róisín Barrett while pointing at the Palestinian flag draped over a nearby speaker.

The employee proceeded to remove the flag as banjoist Andrew Hendy told the crowd, "We were told our gig would be cut off if we flew a Palestinian flag."

Hendy briefly led a chant of "free Palestine" before the sound was abruptly cut off. Despite the flag being returned and audiences chanting "let them play," sound was not restored.

The video also caught an exchange in which a festival employee said, "You're not playing until the flag is removed." The band refused, stating that they've performed with the flag for years, and eventually exited the stage.

After the video was posted, the festival issued a follow-up statement citing their no-flags policy, which they said they did not explain "sensitively or far enough in advance to allow a sensible conclusion to be reached."

The festival apologised to the band and pledged to make "a substantial donation to humanitarian relief efforts for the Palestinian people."

The Last Dinner Party, The Academic and Cliffords announced on Saturday they would no longer be performing as planned at the festival.

The Last Dinner Party wrote on Instagram that they are "outraged" by the cancellation of The Mary Wallopers' set.

"As a band we cannot cosign political censorship and will therefore be boycotting the festival today," said The Last Dinner Party.

"To see an attempt to direct attention away from the genocide in order to maintain an apolitical image is immensely disappointing."

The Academic also condemned the festival on Instagram, writing, "We can’t in good conscience stand up and play at a festival that silences free speech and the right to express your views."

Cliffords posted a photo of themselves holding up a Palestinian flag and said, "Following the ongoing genocide and in light of the recent declaration of famine, we refuse to play if we are to be censored for showing our support to the people of Palestine."

"We have no intention of playing if this is how artists are treated for speaking out against genocide," said Cliffords, adding that they intend to donate to Medical Aid for Palestinians.

 

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Headline act Vampire Weekend called out festival organisers during their set, with frontman Ezra Koenig telling the crowd, "If someone was punished for flying a flag, that is wrong and they deserve an apology."

KNEECAP, who weren't scheduled to play at the festival, also posted in support of the band.

"Speak up against genocide in England and you're treated like a criminal," KNEECAP wrote.

Our good pals The Mary Wallopers have just been pulled off stage and the PA shut down at @VictoriousFest in Portsmouth for taking out a 🇵🇸 flag and saying Free Palestine.

Speak up against genocide in England and you're treated like a criminal.

Up the Mary Wallopers 💚🤍🧡… pic.twitter.com/l9XdBL1jcm

— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) August 22, 2025

During their show at All Points East Festival in London, Dublin rock band The Murder Capital spoke out for The Mary Wallopers and the acts who boycotted Victorious.

"Make some noise for The Mary Wollopers," said frontman James McGovern to the crowd.

"I want you to make some fucking noise for the bands that pulled out of that shitty festival. I want to hear some fucking noise for the people of Palestine."

Maynooth singer Nell Mescal and American Celtic rock band Dropkick Murphys also expressed solidarity with The Mary Wallopers on their Instagram stories.