The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) states on their website that the company ‘is bankrolling Israel’s genocidal assault on Palestinians.’ According to their research, ‘Barclays bank now holds over £2 billion in shares, and provides £6.1 billion in loans and underwriting, to 9 companies whose weapons, components, and military technology are being used by Israel in its attacks on Palestinians.’ This, along with the mass walkout by over 100 bands and artists over a similar issue with May’s Great Escape festival has encouraged acts due to play at this weekends Download to boycott the event.

It began with the band Pest Control who wrote in a post on their Instagram that they ‘will not take part in an event whose sponsor profits from facilitating a genocide.’ as well as that they refuse to ‘sacrifice the principles held by this band and by the scene we come from and represent, just for personal gain.’

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A post shared by PEST CONTROL (@pestcontrolthrash)

The Leeds band then created a ripple effect causing punk bands Speed, Scowl and Zulu to pull themselves from the event too and instead have organised a benefit show which will take place at the Centrala in Birmingham on the evening of Friday the 14th. Unfortunately, all tickets for this impromptu show sold out in just 6 minutes but if fans are still wanting to donate you can check out the @birminghamhardcoreshows Instagram page for information on how to do so. 

This Friday! A benefit for Palestine Thank you to everyone who put this together last minute and all the bands playing. pic.twitter.com/qpMAlv04LB — SCOWL (@Scowl40831) June 11, 2024

London hardcore metal band Ithaca have also decided to snub Download too and this isn’t the only festival getting the cold-shoulder this summer. Latitude is experiencing a similar situation with a number of comedians refusing to perform at the July event including Sophie Duker, Grace Campbell and Alexandra Haddow, along with many other musicians. To keep up to date with the ever-changing situation, you can follow @bandsboycottbarclays who are leading the movement.

These boycotts have come at a time when Barclays Bank has been attracting increasing outrage from pro-palestine protesters as over 20 Barclays Branches have been defaced and covered in red paint in the last two weeks according to the Guardian. The article also notes that ‘in Edinburgh, rocks inscribed with the names of dead Palestinians were thrown at a bank branch.’

Pro-Palestine activists smash windows at Barclays bank branches across UK over Israel arms links https://t.co/H8B8eCARI1

— gerard larose (@gerardlaro5723) June 12, 2024

The Leicestershire festival Download and Barclays are yet to comment on the exodus or the protests but fans are hopeful that the continuing growth in the number of acts boycotting the event will push the festival to remove Barclays as a sponsor.

According to the BBC, just this year, 42 festivals have announced their postponement or cancellation of the festival as they do not have the funds or budget to successfully put on the show that audiences are desiring. Much loved festivals such as Body and Soul, Towersey festival and Wild Roots are being forced to postpone their festivals, or cancel them indefinitely.

The organisers of Towersey festival, after sixty years of running a welcoming, adored festival, announced that due to “economic challenges”, this year’s festival will be their last, stating that “the pandemic wiped all our back up and changed the face of festivals across the industry”, leaving many excited locals in dismay that their annual favourite festival will not be returning for 2025.

The costs for putting on a festival have increased immensely, reflected through ticket prices rocketing, as Glastonbury festival have increased their ticket price by £75 within the past two years. Organiser of the Stendhal Festival in Northern Ireland, Ross Parkhill, told the BBC that “everything has gone up in recent years across the board, everything from insurance costs, artist fees to affording fuel for generators”, especially as around 25% of a festival budget immediately goes to artist fees, and sometimes, this does not include accommodation and travel, wiping a huge part of their budget alongside potentially impacting artists financially.

The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) stated that this year, festival goers can expect 100 more festivals to be either postponed or cancelled indefinitely. John Rostron, AIF’s CEO, wants to “again sound the alarm to Government” as the nation is “witnessing the erosion of one of our most successful and unique cultural industry sectors”.

In 2019, Tramlines was acquired by festival promotion giant Superstruct Entertainment. Superstruct, after an acquisition spree that peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, is now the world’s second largest festival promoter. According to IQ magazine, the company currently owns 85 festivals across Europe and Australia, including the UK’s Boardmasters, Bluedot, and Truck festivals. Under the control of Superstruct Entertainment, Tramlines festival has been consistently securing big names in the UK’s alt scene. Announced today, Tramlines’ line up for 2024 continues this trend.

Headliners include Scottish singer/songwriter Paolo Nutini, English singer Jamie T, and Dundee alt-rock band, Snow Patrol, who will be playing on Friday 26th, Saturday 27th, and Sunday the 28th of July respectively. This is not the first time that the two Scottish acts have performed at the same event as both played at Hyde Park’s BT London Live, an event that promoted the opening of the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Brighton indie rock band The Magic Gang, who have recently announced their decision to part ways, are on the festival’s bill. For those unable to attend the band’s farewell UK tour in May, Tramlines festival will be one of the last places that the group will be performing.

As well as acts at the end of their lifespan, acts who have recently found a new lease on life will be attending Hillsborough Park. Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who has recently shot back up into stardom with the resurgence of her 2001 hit ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’, will be playing in Hillsborough Park on Friday the 26th. As well as newfound fame, Tramlines will likely be hosting some newly released music. Off the back of their soon-to-be-released EP, Fantasies, London’s Bombay Bicycle Club will be performing at Tramlines. Since Fantasies is set to release on the 23rd of February, there is a chance that those at the festival will be some of the first to hear a live rendition of the upcoming EP.

With 25,000 people already signed up to the festival’s pre-sale list, tickets are sure to sell out fast. Presale tickets for Tramlines go live tomorrow at 12pm, so if you haven’t signed up yet, you can do so here. Weekend tickets will be available for £130, and day tickets will cost £45. Although it is likely that there will be some tickets available after the pre-sale, prices before and after the pre-sale period may be subject to change. Additionally, Tramlines does not offer on-site camping, meaning that accommodation for those from outside Sheffield will have to be organised separately.