to Avoid any controversy. This is certainly the aim of the organisers of the festival of Glastonbury, who have decided to cancel the venue when editing 2019 of the duo Killdren. The british band «rave-punk», as it is defined, should occur in the fields of Pilton in England between 26 and 30 June. However, it is at the heart of a controversy about the lyrics of his song Kill Tory Scum (Before They Kill You) , dated as of 2017, and translatable as «Kill the grime, Tory, before it kills you».
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in The Uk, the Tories are the nickname given to the members of the conservative Party, currently in power and which is after the ex-First minister Theresa May. A designation acquisition by the group in its song and declined on numerous occasions: «Kill them all, to the rhythm of the drums, kill the filth Tory» ; «Even if it’s your father or your mother, kill the grime, Tory,»… The most disputed being: «the genocide of The Tories is the outcome of perfect.»
These words have led to strong reactions across the Channel, and in particular on the side of the Foundation, Jo Cox, of the name of the mp for a labour party who was murdered in 2016. Its executive director, Catherine Anderson, has regretted «the direct incitement to violence and insult, regardless of the platform and the sector». «We all need to denounce this type of verbal violence, until we go back to a way to discuss our differences of opinions of a more friendly», she hoped.
«The incredible spirit of inclusion Glastonbury»
Killdren had to occur in the area as «Shangri-La» of the festival, dedicated to the «progressive culture», «the encouragement of activism» or «underground culture» according to the website of Glastonbury. The leaders of the zone said in a press release to be «saddened that the attention around [the coming of Killdren] has led to so much negativity against a festival as peaceful». «We do not support violence in any way, and we will not allow this issue to overshadow the incredible spirit of inclusion of Glastonbury, have they continued. Therefore, we have decided to de-program Killdren.»
On Twitter, the group defended its actions by replacing the creation of the song in its context, at the last general elections in 2017: «The «murder» encouraged people to vote against the Tories.» In a press release, Killdren also explained that the song «wouldn’t exist if the policies are destructive and violent of the conservative Party had not affected the United Kingdom as lasting and devastating». The title of the song suggests, according to them, «the question of the violence of the State.»
For the poster of their tour in 2019, called the Brexshit Tour , the group has chosen to represent a caricature of stylized queen Elizabeth II, carved up and roasted on a spit. An illustration of their «nihilism direct and naivety fresh», as stated in their website.
