Punk duo Bob Whelan have had a concert canceled after their frontman Bobby Whelan called far-right commentator Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot in Utah last week, an “absolute piece of human shit” during a performance in Amsterdam.
As a result, Tilburg venue 013 has canceled the Ipswich band’s September 16 show, saying the band went “too far” at the Paradiso venue in the Dutch capital.
Bobby Whelan, who doesn’t use his real name, added on stage: “The pronouns were/were. Cause if you chat shit, you’re gonna get in. Rest in peace Charlie Kirk, you piece of shit.”
The organizers said: “While we understand that these statements were made in the context of punk and activism, and that reporting on them is sometimes less nuanced than what actually happened, we still believe that these new statements go too far. They no longer reflect what we can offer as a platform.”
Venue 013 said it had initially decided to let the duo perform “despite the controversy that arose following their Glastonbury performance.” At this year’s festival, the barber led chants of “Death to the IDF,” prompting an ongoing criminal investigation by Avon and Somerset Police. The band also had their US tour revoked, scrapping their autumn tour.
After the group explained that the chant was not an “anti-Semitic slogan, but rather a criticism of the Israeli army,” 013 decided to continue the show.
The UK branch of Turning Point, a right-wing youth group that Kirk founded, claimed that footage from the Paradiso show featured Bobby Whelan “mocking and glorifying the brutal murder” of Kirk.
Responding to the show’s cancellation and claims that the band celebrated Kirk’s death, Bobby Whelan said in a video: “At no point during yesterday’s show was the death of Charlie Kirk celebrated. I at no point did we celebrate the death of Charlie Kirk. We celebrated his death.”
“What happened is one reporter who bought a ticket online [for Kirk] Piece of Shit and we played a song, they wrote it as a celebration. It’s not a celebration… calm down.”
The band then tweeted: “They want us so bad but we just played a sold out Paradiso. It’s always love in Amsterdam.”
Ahead of the Amsterdam show, the band called BBC director-general Tim Davey “A Spineless Puppet” X sparked controversy over why the live broadcast of the band’s Glastonbury show was not cut after he made his comments. “There was nothing anti-Semitic or criminal about anything I said at Glastonbury. Why do you think @metpoliceuk @aspolice are taking so long?”
Newquay Festival’s Boardmasters could lose its license this week after it allowed the band to play the festival in August following the Glastonbury controversy.
In July, a reform community organizer applied to Cornwall Council to review the event’s license, saying the band’s appearance “undermines the licensing objectives.” A Boardmasters spokesman said the festival “does not tolerate hate speech” or “incitement to violence.” Devon and Cornwall Police said they were satisfied with the arrangements made at the festival.
Legal deadlines meant the hearing could not take place until after the festival. The council also heard from local residents who supported Bob Whelan’s appearance at the festival.
There were ultimately no riots or disruptions during the band’s performance. Singer Bobby Whelan told the crowd, “It was a bit of a struggle to get here.”
