Bluesfest organiser comments as artists pull out of Australian festival over Sticky Fingers booking

completemusicupdate.com:

The organiser of Australian festival Bluesfest has defended his decision to book Sticky Fingers to play the event, after Sampa The Great and King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard pulled out in protest at the band’s appearance on the line-up.Sticky Fingers frontman Dylan Frost has been at the centre of a number of controversies in recent years, with accusations of racism, misogyny, transphobia and violence made against him a number of times between 2016 and 2018.

Frost has denied some of the allegations, and put others down to alcohol abuse and mental health issues.In a statement to ticketholders yesterday, the festival’s organiser Peter Noble wrote: “I hoped it didn’t need to be said, but unfortunately, it does.

We at Bluesfest stand for something: inclusivity. We want to support artists who are achieving greatness, which often involves overcoming incredible hurdles.

Please take the time to educate yourself with the facts regarding Sticky Fingers”.“They aren’t monsters”, he went on. “They are a seriously great Australian band whose singer has had to overcome barriers that would have sidelined all but the most determined to continue to perform.