This That Festival Have Removed Sticky Fingers From Their 2018 Line-Up
"We are for total inclusiveness and safety and are very proud of the festival’s record in regards to the welfare and safety of our attendees."
Following an intense week of criticism, Newcastle festival This That have announced that Sydney band Sticky Fingers will no longer headline their November event.
Festival organisers released a statement a short time ago, writing that the decision was made in discussion with the band.
“After long discussions, This That and Sticky Fingers have decided the band will no longer be performing at this that on Saturday 3rd November,” they wrote. “Sticky Fingers agreed with This That from the start that if their inclusion began to impact negatively on the other artists performing and our Newcastle and wider communities that it would be best if they refrain from performing. That is the decision we have both taken today.”
“Our decision to include Sticky Fingers on the 2018 line-up was not taken lightly as there were many serious and complex issues to consider from several perspectives, and we realised there would be debate about their suitability to be included. While looking at all these issues in totality we made the decision to include them while also monitoring sentiment from the time of the booking.”
Over the last week, a number of high-profile musicians and activists condemned This That’s decision to put Sticky Fingers on the line-up, which would have been the band’s first major festival appearance since their hiatus in 2016.
In their statement today, the festival highlighted that their top priority was the safety and well-being of its artists and attendees, and this year they will be implementing “various strategies” to ensure everyone is safe and welcome at the event.
“We will be continuing and evolving our crowd care, health and safety management systems at the festival,” they stated. “We also continue our integrated planning work with crowd care services, police, security and regional health services who will — like always — have a strong presence at the event. We are for total inclusiveness and safety and are very proud of the festival’s record in regards to the welfare and safety of our attendees.
They advised that anyone who had purchased tickets to the festival, and now wants a refund, is able to do so through the website.
Sticky Fingers have also released a lengthy statement on their Facebook page regarding their withdrawal from the line-up.
“We are disappointed to announce that we have decided to withdraw from performing at This That festival this November,” they wrote. “We have decided that the perpetrated negativity from a small pocket of the music industry that has been aimed at us through this period needs to be quarantined so it doesn’t affect other innocent parties — be they the other artists on the bill, This That festival itself, or the fans who wanted to see us play.”
“We are 100% behind making all our performances a safe and enjoyable space for everyone, but we also feel like the lead up to the show should be safe and enjoyable,” they continued. “And while the response from fans has been overwhelmingly positive and excited, the way in which This That and the rest of the line-up have been spoken about by the media has been biased with negativity.
“Despite what people say, we care about our music community and don’t want This That or the other artists on the bill to be spoken about negatively or bullied simply by association.”
Read the full statements from This That and Sticky Fingers below.
This That Statement Regarding Sticky Fingers:
After long discussions, This That and Sticky Fingers have decided the band will no longer be performing at this that on Saturday 3rd November.
Sticky Fingers agreed with This That from the start that if their inclusion began to impact negatively on the other artists performing and our Newcastle and wider communities that it would be best if they refrain from performing. That’s the decision we have both taken today.
Our decision to include Sticky Fingers on the 2018 line-up was not taken lightly as there were many serious and complex issues to consider from several perspectives, and we realised there would be debate about their suitability to be included.
While looking at all these issues in totality we made the decision to include them while also monitoring sentiment from the time of the booking.
This That’s top priority is the safety and well-being of both its artists and attendees and the festival team do not condone abuse of any kind.
This that is proud of providing a positive platform for Australian and international artists to share the stage, we take our role in the community very seriously and to those who have been upset by the inclusion of Sticky Fingers, we’re truly sorry.
Again this year we will have various strategies in place to ensure everyone is safe and welcome at This That. We will be continuing and evolving our crowd care, health and safety management systems at the festival. We also continue our integrated planning work with crowd care services, police, security and regional health services who will – like always – have a strong presence at the event.
We are for total inclusiveness and safety and are very proud of the festival’s record in regards to the welfare and safety of our attendees.
Anyone who has bought a ticket on the basis of seeing Sticky Fingers — we realise you will be disappointed and we apologise. If anyone wishes to receive a full refund, they can do so by filling in their details on this form before 5pm AEST Friday July 6.
We are thrilled to have this year’s current lineup of artists coming to newcastle on Saturday November 3 including RL Grime, Illy, Amy shark, The Rubens, Goldlink and Safia. We are aiming to announce a replacement for Sticky Fingers as soon as possible alongside our final artist announcement.
If anyone experiencing abuse needs assistance, 1800 respect — the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service — can be reached on 1800 737 732, while Lifeline can be reached on 13 11 14.
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Sticky Fingers’ Statement Regarding This That:
We are disappointed to announce that we have decided to withdraw from performing at This That festival this November. We would like to thank the event for having us on the bill along with such an impressive line-up, but we have decided that the perpetrated negativity from a small pocket of the music industry that has been aimed at us through this period needs to be quarantined so it doesn’t affect other innocent parties — be they the other artists on the bill,This That festival itself, or the fans who wanted to see us play.
The band has been on tour overseas the past month, and it pains us to return home to fellow artists on the the line-up being bullied and dragged through the mud for no fault of their own. We are not comfortable with this.
We are 100 percent behind making all our performances a safe and enjoyable space for everyone, but we also feel like the lead up to the show should be safe and enjoyable. And while the response from fans has been overwhelmingly positive and excited, the way in which This That and the rest of the line-up have been spoken about by the media has been biased with negativity. Despite what people say, we care about our music community and don’t want This That or the other artists on the bill to be spoken about negatively or bullied simply by association.
We have had to address allegations against the band multiple times now and there seems to be no means to an end. We have taken steps to positive change and continue to do so. Earlier this year we recorded an album entirely sober, and just two days ago completed a sold out world tour — all shows entirely sober. Along with this; there has been rehab and continued therapy.
It is very apparent that the Australian music media and some people in the music industry do not care about any of this, let alone us being open about mental health issues with members in the band. There has been nothing in fact, other than one sided stories against us. Fabricated purely for the sakes of clicks and attention.
We understand and support standing up for equality in all its forms, but if your way of doing this is to cause innocent parties to feel that their safety is not secure purely because they are on the same festival bill as us, then it’s time you thought about if this campaign against us is actually about making positive change in the world.
We understand the trap we are caught in. We are used to it now, but the last thing we want is for other people to have to deal with this negativity, regardless of what impact that may have on our own career.
We hope everyone will still go to THIS THAT and have a tip top time. The line-up is great.