Hero In Error have become the latest band to drop out of Radar Festival, but have said they believe the festival has been made “scapegoats for the bigger issue”.
Over the last few days, artists including The Scratch and ĠENN announced they would not be playing at the Manchester festival this weekend, following the news that Bob Vylan had been dropped from the line-up.
Bob Vylan caused controversy during their Glastonbury 2025 performance, in which they voiced their support for Palestine and criticised Israel, as well as leading the crowd in chants of “death, death to the IDF”. The backlash led to them being dropped from shows in Germany and France, finding their set under criminal investigation, having their ties severed with agents United Talent Agency and having their US visas revoked.
Earlier this week, the organiser behind Radar, Catherine Jackson-Smith, explained that the festival did not want to remove Bob Vylan from the bill, but felt pressured to in a bid to ensure that the event could go ahead. She also revealed that they considered having Kneecap – who have also seen backlash for their pro-Palestine stance – added to the line-up as a replacement.
Now, Dublin metalcore band Hero In Error have become the latest act to announce they would not be playing Radar, writing on Instagram that they believed the festival “have been made scapegoats for the bigger issue”.
“You’ve been put in a seriously heavy position lads and I’d have your backs through it all,” they added.
In a longer statement, they explained that they spoke with the organisers and concluded “it’s clear they’re facing the same pressures that many de-platformed artists are currently experiencing. They are good people, and it’s evident they stand for progressive ideals”.
They said both Bob Vylan and Radar are “caught in a wider effort to deflect attention from the reality of what’s happening. We respect the work Radar has done, but we believe that stepping back from this year’s event is the right decision at this time.”
Bob Vylan have spoken out in defence of their Worthy Farm performance multiple times now; saying it is vital to “teach our children to speak up for the change they want”, and reiterating that they are wanting the “dismantling of a violent military machine”, not calling for “the death of Jews or Arabs or any other race or group”.
Massive Attack have shown their support for the duo amid the furore too, and urged the media to centre their attention towards “what is happening daily to the people of Gaza”, rather than focusing on the artists speaking out.
Shortly after the set last weekend, other artists, including Lambrini Girls, Amyl And The Sniffers and Soft Play, shared their backing as well. The latter shared a statement that read: “Again, the media is trying to distract you from the real story. The outrage sparked […] is merely a smoke screen for the lack of reporting on the destruction of the Palestinian people. They are starving children, where is the media’s outrage at Israel’s continued obliteration of a whole nation?”
