King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have canceled their appearance at Australia’s Bluesfest Byron Bay. The psych-rock outfit’s decision comes amid public backlash over organizers’ decision to book Sticky Fingers, whose frontman Dylan Frost has previously been accused of violence and racism.
“As a band and as human beings, we stand against misogyny, racism, transphobia and violence,” King Gizzard wrote on social media. “Surprised and saddened to see Bluesfest commit to presenting content that is in complete opposition to these values.”
“Given this decision by the festival, we have decided to cancel our appearance at Bluesfest,” the group continued. “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.”
Frost has a history of controversial behavior, with a notable incident occurring in 2016 when he was accused of physically threatening Indigenous musician Thelma Plum. In the aftermath of the headline-grabbing scandal, Frost said on social media he was “ashamed” he made a woman feel unsafe and that “violence against women is never OK”. Four months earlier, Frost was accused of harassing another Indigenous musician in the band Dispossessed while they performed onstage.
In the aftermath, the band said the latter accusation was a “massive misunderstanding” and Sticky Fingers went on hiatus in 2017. During the downtime, Frost acknowledged his behavior “for a large part has been unacceptable” and underwent treatment for alcohol abuse and therapy for mental health issues.
When the group reformed in 2018, controversy reared its head again when Frost brushed off his past outbursts as “shit happens, man” and “boys will be boys” during an interview with Triple J. Not long after, the singer was ejected from a Sydney pub after getting into an altercation with a transgender woman. That next year, Frost and his bandmate Paddy Cornwall got into a fight outside a pub that put Frost in the hospital. Cornwall ultimately plead guilty to affray—a charge more serious than assault—and was ordered to serve out his 18-month sentence “by way of intensive correction in the community” and to abstain from drugs and alcohol for the duration.
Bluesfest director Peter Noble defended booking Sticky Fingers last week, telling The Sydney Morning Herald, “Whatever happened in the past is in the past. At some point, you have to allow people to move on with their life.”
“Everybody has a right to be forgiven and to show who they can be … and this man is attempting to do that, so that’s why he’s on Bluesfest,” Noble said.
The festival organizer noted that Frost is “a diagnosed bipolar schizophrenic” and claims “he’s had years of no incidents while he’s been managing his condition.” Other artists have spoken out against the booking as well, including Jaguar Jonze and Sarah Thompson of Camp Cope, the latter of whom called Bluesfest “the most tone-deaf promoters in the country”.
bluesfest go fuck yourself challenge https://t.co/Yxrv4jy6pL
— Sarah Thompson (@slthomthom) February 14, 2023
View this post on Instagram