Bluesfest director Peter Noble has doubled down on his decision to add controversial Sydney band Sticky Fingers to the line-up, a day after popular Melbourne group King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard withdrew from the Byron Bay festival.
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Noble echoed comments he made last Wednesday, when he said Sticky Fingers vocalist Dylan Frost “deserves an opportunity” after a number of incidents that led to the band’s hiatus in 2017.
Dylan Frost of Sticky Fingers, performing at Splendour in the Grass 2016.Credit:Mark Metcalfe
“Over the years, Bluesfest has been the promoter of music festivals which allowed diverse artists to exercise their freedom of artistic expression and have afforded the Australian public access to their works,” Noble said on Tuesday.
“In the course of doing so, Bluesfest has been proud to give prominence to indigenous artists and to promote diversity in the music industry.
“Recently, a band decided to cancel a forthcoming appearance at Bluesfest because Sticky Fingers, particularly its lead singer … was involved in an incident with another artist offstage a long time ago.”
I believe an attempt to victimise this man and his band in the circumstances is cruel and unforgiving.
Frost made headlines in 2016 when he was accused of being physically threatening towards Indigenous musician Thelma Plum. He later made a statement on social media saying he was “ashamed” he had made a woman feel unsafe, and “violence against women is never OK”. He has also spoken publicly about attending rehabilitation for alcohol addiction and therapy for mental health issues.
An image posted Tuesday on the Sticky Fingers’ Instagram.Credit:
But controversy followed Sticky Fingers when they reformed in 2018. In an interview with Triple J, Frost appeared unrepentant about his past behaviour, and one month later he was reportedly ejected from a Sydney pub after becoming involved in a verbal altercation with a transgender woman.
On Tuesday, a picture posted on the Sticky Fingers Instagram page depicted King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, superimposed with an image of South Park character PC Principal.
After Bluesfest was last week criticised by some in the music industry, including Jaguar Jonze and Camp Cope drummer Sarah Thompson – who have both repeatedly spoken out about how difficult the Australian music scene can be for women and people from minority backgrounds – King Gizzard announced on Monday they had pulled out of Bluesfest.
“Given this decision by the festival, we have decided to cancel our appearance at Bluesfest,” King Gizzard posted on Twitter.
“We are deeply disappointed to be in this position but sometimes you need to be willing to make sacrifices to stand up for your values. This is, unfortunately, one of those moments.”
Noble, however, was standing by Sticky Fingers and his plan to bring them to Bluesfest.
“I believe an attempt to victimise this man and his band in the circumstances is cruel and unforgiving,” he said on Tuesday. “This cruelty and lack of compassion are foreign to my values, as is the attempt to suppress the band’s artistic expression. I was and remain proud to give the band a chance at rehabilitation.
“Bluesfest hopes that the public will understand, respect, and hopefully, on reflection, agree with the position my company and I have taken. Forgiveness is critical to helping people with mental health challenges continue functioning in society.
“It has been suggested that because of the listing of Sticky Fingers, Bluesfest and I endorsed the lead singer’s ancient troubled behaviour. That suggestion is deplorable, untrue, and actionable as being defamatory.”
After last week’s initial criticisms on social media, Noble told this masthead that people he’d spoken to were “over the moon” about the decision to add Sticky Fingers to the Bluesfest line-up.
“I’m aware the singer is a diagnosed bipolar schizophrenic, and I am aware that, whatever happened in 2016, he’s had years of no incidents while he’s been managing his condition,” he said.
Comment has been sought from Sticky Fingers.
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