Bristol venue admits it was wrong to cancel Jewish band due to activist pressure
Strange Brew says cancelling the band was “a mistake”, and that they were 'likely only subjected to this level of scrutiny' because 'they are a Jewish band'
A Bristol music venue has publicly admitted it was wrong to cancel a performance by Jewish Klezmer group Oi Va Voi in May after “complaints about the band from activist groups”, acknowledging that the band “was likely only subjected to this level of scrutiny…because they are Jewish.”
Strange Brew released a statement on Wednesday stating that it had “reflected on this decision” to cancel the band’s performance “and have realised that we made a mistake in doing so.” There had been complaints about the band and the Israeli singer that they were performing with, Zohara, after claims that an album cover from the singer, showing her harvesting watermelons, was a coded reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with pro-Palestinian adherents having taken up the watermelon as a symbol.
“We recognise that Oi Va Voi was likely only subjected to this level of scrutiny, and Zohara’s album artwork interpreted negatively, because they are a Jewish band performing with an Israeli singer”, the venue said.
“Oi Va Voi are musicians, not activists. They have no political affiliations, and as far as we are aware, have never made any political statements, be it in their music or otherwise…Even if they did hold such views, we recognise that under the Equality Act performers cannot be excluded from our venue based on their nationality or their ethnicity, or their philosophical or religious opinions and beliefs which are worthy of respect in a democratic society, even if some people are opposed to those views.”
Strange Brew confirmed it will now introduce compulsory antisemitism training for senior management, run by the Antisemitism Policy Trust, and will make a donation to the Community Security Trust. It also urged other venues and promoters not to hold Jewish artists to a higher standard “by demanding they account for the actions of others or let the current conflict effectively exclude Jewish acts from our venues”.
The Bristol venue said the issue had been resolved amicably with the band.
In their response, Oi Va Voi welcomed the admission but warned that the circumstances reflected a wider industry problem in how Jewish artists are treated.
“The only reason we received a level of scrutiny that would lead to such false accusations is because of our heritage and the nationality of one of our performers,” the band said.
They said activist groups had made “untrue and misguided claims” about the group, their music, and artwork by Zohara, and that the pressure behind the cancellation “would never be tolerated against any other minority”.
“Anti-Jewish racism is racism, and racism is injustice, wherever it comes from,” they added.
The London-based klezmer-folk group said the episode caused “immense personal and emotional impact,” as well as financial loss, reputational damage and “a barrage of hate, the like of which we had never experienced before.”
They also criticised what they described as a striking lack of solidarity from fellow musicians and the wider industry. “The silence around cancellations of Oi Va Voi and other Jewish performers – British and Israeli – has been deafening,” the band said.
Robert Lewis, partner at Mishcon de Reya LLP, said: “Oi Va Voi are musicians, not activists, who believe they were targeted because they are a Jewish band performing with an Israeli singer. The Equality Act is clear: you cannot exclude performers because of a protected characteristic, such as nationality, ethnicity, or beliefs worthy of respect in a democratic society.”
A spokesperson for the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) said:
“Treating Jewish artists differently because they are Jewish is unlawful and deeply damaging. We welcome Strange Brew’s acknowledgement of this and its steps to correct the situation.
“This incident was part of a wider pattern in which venues and promoters too readily give in to pressure to exclude Jewish and Israeli artists. When others are accused of antisemitic rhetoric, the industry often rallies to defend their “free expression”. But when Jewish or Israeli performers face unjust scrutiny or exclusion, the silence is striking.
“These cases heighten the fear and trauma already felt within the Jewish community. Each one reinforces the sense that Jewish artists must answer for the actions of others, something no community should endure.
“We welcome the amicable resolution of this case and urge all venues and promoters to act with consistency, fairness and courage when faced with attempts to exclude Jewish or Israeli performers.”
Board of Deputies Vice President Andrew Gilbert said: “We warmly welcome the statement from the venue Strange Brew Bristol in which they acknowledge their mistake in cancelling the performance of UK Jewish band Oi Va Voi. It is important that the venue has recognised that this band was likely only subject to the scrutiny they were because it was a Jewish band performing with an Israeli singer, and that no performers should ever be excluded based on their ethnicity or nationality.
“We echo Strange Brew’s call to other venues not to allow the conflict to effectively exclude Jewish acts. It is also welcome that they have implemented antisemitism training. The Board of Deputies has been campaigning against the exclusion of Jewish acts from arts venues – an issue emphasised in the report of the Board of Deputies’ Commission on Antisemitism chaired by Lord John Mann and Dame Penny Mordaunt. We hope that Strange Brew’s statement will set a standard for others in the arts sector.”
Oi Va Voi said they hope to perform in Bristol soon.