Eno gathers a line-up to get excited about for the September event
Brian Eno’s “Together for Palestine” gig is fast approaching. The singer announced the event on his socials in late July. The one off performance at Wembley Arena will be held on September 17.
Eno is working alongside, Khaled Ziada, Khalid Abdalla and Tracey Seaward as an executive producer enlisting interpretations from creatives “for whom silence feels impossible”.
He recently announced the star-studded line-up set to dazzle the arena stage next month. Names such as Damon Albarn, King Krule, Pink Pantheress, Rachel Chinchourri and more will come to Wembley to stand with Palestine.
This “evening of music, reflection and hope” aims to raise money for those affected by the genocide in Gaza and create a bridge of solidarity between the UK and the people of Palestine. 100% of the ticket sales will go to Choose Love, who will then distribute the funds to Palestinian-led organisations offering humanitarian aid.
MARSM festival founder, Zianda, shared, “In a world where governments and mainstream media have fallen silent in the face of genocide, this gathering becomes a chorus of resistance – where artists and communities come together to grieve, to rage, and to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinian people, and with all those who suffer injustice.”
Eno notes that silence from artists he has met, has often come from “fear, real fear – that speaking out could provoke a backlash, close doors or end a career. But that’s now changing – partly because some artists and activists have lit the path, but mostly because the truth of what’s going on has become impossible to ignore.”
Eno is a longtime advocate for the rights and safety of Palestinians. As far back as 2014, he has been outspoken against politicians such as David Cameron and the US government for their part in Israeli war crimes.
Last year, he implored the International Criminal Court to “exercise the mandate it has been given to prosecute war crimes”, performed at a special benefit event in support of Palestine in London’s Union chapel and worked alongside members of R.E.M., Fontaines D.C. and more in reading out letters written by suffering Palestinians as a part of a ‘Voices for Gaza’ initiative.
Earlier this year, he wrote an open letter to to Microsoft to cut ties with Israel. In it, he pledged to donate his fee from his composition of the Windows 95 chime to aid Palestine.
Recently, he joined the alliance of musicians created by Massive Attack including Kneecap, Garbage and Fontaines D.C. speaking out against “the intimidation from within” the music industry for those being vocal against the atrocities in Gaza.
The crisis only continues to escalate in Palestine. The IPC declared famine in Gaza city that is projected to expand to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis in the next month.
With international journalists barred from entering the strip and local reporters continually being targeted, it is clear that Netanyahu and his government want silence.
“Together for Palestine” comes at a critical moment. The music industry and the UK government has created a culture of reticence with aggressive backlash against singers and artists outspoken against Israel’s war crimes. As musicians are investigated and taken to court over displaying their support for the Palestinian cause, now is the time for artists to say, “you won’t intimidate us, we’re not going to stop talking about this.”
Tickets are currently sold out but go to the Together for Palestine website to join the waiting list and to find out more.
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