Another important victory in the cultural boycott! Elvis Costello has heeded the call from the British Palestine Solidarity Campaign and others not to play a concert in apartheid Israel. He has posted the following statement:
It is after considerable contemplation that I have lately arrived at the decision that I must withdraw from the two performances scheduled in Israel on the 30th of June and the 1st of July.
One lives in hope that music is more than mere noise, filling up idle time, whether intending to elate or lament.
He continues:
Sometimes a silence in music is better than adding to the static and so an end to it.
Read the complete statement here.
This follows in the footsteps of a similar decision by Gil Scott-Heron. Let’s continue to put pressure on others including Elton John and Joan Armatrading!