Portishead

Portishead haven’t toured regularly since 2014, but whenever they do head back onto the road, don’t expect the band to play any shows in Israel. Today, the UK trip-hop trio became the latest band to boycott Israel over the country’s ongoing conflict with Palestine.

“As long as the Israeli government commits war crimes against the Palestinian people we support their call for a boycott of Israel as a means of peaceful protest against the brutal occupation #artistsforpalestine,” Portishead wrote in a statement posted to Facebook.



Portishead join a handful of artists participating in a cultural boycott of Israel. Other supporters of the BDS Movement include musicians Roger Waters, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Thurston Moore, and Kathleen Hanna, actors Mark Ruffalo and John Cusack, and writers Angela Davis and David Edgar. Last year, Lorde bowed to pressure and canceled a scheduled concert in Tel Aviv, while Nick Cave went through with his gig to “make a principled stand against anyone who wants to censor and silence musicians.” Radiohead, too, resisted calls to cancel their show in Tel Aviv last summer; interestingly enough, as a member of Radiohead’s touring band, Portishead drummer Clive Deamer participated in that gig.