Bristol venue accepts ‘mistake’ in Oi Va Voi cancellation and admits band was treated differently due to Jewish heritage

Strange Brew’s statement read: “We made a last-minute decision to cancel this performance following complaints about the band from activist groups, including about Zohara's solo album artwork. We have reflected on this decision and have realised that we made a mistake in doing so.

“We recognise that Oi Va Voi was likely only subjected to this level of scrutiny, and Zohara's album artwork interpreted negatively, because they are a Jewish band performing with an Israeli singer.”

The statement continued: “Oi Va Voi are musicians, not activists. They have no political affiliations and, as far as we are aware, have never made any political statements, be it in their music or otherwise.”

It went on to say that Strange Brew is an “inclusive venue”, and it was not in line with their values to exclude Oi Va Voi and Zohara from performing on the basis of “conjecture by another group about their views”.
“Even if they did hold such views, we recognise that, under the Equality Act, performers cannot be excluded from our venue based on their nationality or ethnicity, or their philosophical or religious opinions and beliefs which are worthy of respect in a democratic society, even if some people are opposed to those views.

“We also want to call out to all music venues that, regardless of the tragic events that have unfolded in the Middle East, we should not hold Jewish artists, wherever they may be from, to a higher standard by demanding they account for the actions of others or let the current conflict effectively exclude Jewish acts from our venues.

"Jewish people have greatly enriched the UK's music and arts scenes, helping shape its sounds and stories. Losing this vital source of creativity would be a real loss for the country.”
The venue said it has now implemented compulsory antisemitism training for all its senior management via the Antisemitism Policy Trust and has made a donation to the Community Security Trust to protect British Jews from antisemitism. It added it had “resolved the situation amicably” with Oi Va Voi.

Oi Va Voi have welcomed the venue’s in a statement of their own, saying: “The cancellation followed complaints from activist groups making untrue and misguided claims about us, our music and the album artwork of guest performer Zohara.

"The only reason we received a level of scrutiny that would lead to such false accusations is because of our heritage and the nationality of one of our performers.”

A modern folk Klezmer band from London, Oi Va Voi have performed globally for over 20 years, in Christian, Jewish and Muslim majority countries, including frequently in Turkey, where they have a devoted fanbase.

They are British Jews and non-Jews making “socially conscious, humanitarian music that aims to bring people together”, they said. 

“The intimidation of the activist groups who wanted Strange Brew to cancel our gig would never be tolerated against any other minority, either in the music industry or elsewhere. Anti-Jewish racism is racism, and racism is injustice, wherever it comes from.”

The band also called out the “deafening silence” and “lack of solidarity” from the music industry and fellow musicians who did not speak out against their cancellation by the Bristol venue.

“What has been particularly disappointing is the lack of solidarity from fellow artists and the wider music industry.

"In the wake of what was seen by many as antisemitic rhetoric from certain acts, many artists were quick to sign letters highlighting the importance of free expression. Yet the silence around cancellations of Oi Va Voi and other Jewish performers – British and Israeli – has been deafening. The readiness of venues, promoters and festivals to cave in to demands that exclude Jewish artists, and the lack of attention from the music press when this does happen, has contributed to an environment which has allowed anti-Jewish racism in Britain to persist largely unchallenged.”

The band spoke of the difficulties they have faced as a result of their cancellation. They welcomed Strange Brew’s commitment to undertake antisemitism training and make a donation to CST.

“This episode has had an immense personal and emotional impact on us. It has also led to financial loss, reputational damage and a barrage of hate, the like of which we had never experienced before.”