Winston Marshall Brutally Shames Music Industry

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The Irish band Kneecap did more than flash an ugly message at last month’s Coachella festival.

As a passionate moviegoer, I’ve learned that certain rap artists have expressed controversial views in the past, namely advocating for the removal of conservative political figures, as per reports from The Hollywood Reporter and the BBC.

True Tories are nonexistent; only harmful ones exist. Eliminate your local representative.” The trio has also been heard expressing, “Long live Hamas, long live Hezbollah.

It has been labeled as terrorist groups for both parties. One of them was responsible for the deadly assault on a music festival held on October 7, 2023, which unfortunately resulted in the loss of many lives of the attendees.

These data points resurfaced following the trio’s incendiary messaging at the U.S.-based festival.

“F Israel. Free Palestine.”

Currently, musicians are showing their support for Kneecap amidst the band’s concert cancellations and criticism from certain circles.

As creators, it’s crucial for us to express our disapproval towards any political suppression of creative liberties.

In a democratic society, it’s inappropriate for any political authorities or political groups to hold the power to decide which musicians can perform at concerts or music events attended by large crowds.

Some notable bands who have expressed their support for Kneecap are Massive Attack, Paul Weller, Primal Scream, Pulp, Bob Vylan, Christy Moore, Damien Dempsey, Delivery, Dexys, English Teacher, Enter Shikari, Fontaines D.C., Gemma Dunleavy, and DJ Annie Mac.

One musician begged to differ.

RELATED: ARE CRITICS AVOIDING ‘SCREAMS BEFORE SILENCE?’

Winston Marshall, a former member of Mumford & Sons, critically lashed out at his peers over their position on X, and in doing so, he also shared parts of his own life experience.

2021 marked a turning point for me as I found myself compelled to step down from the band due to my unwavering support for journalist Andy Ngo’s endeavor to shed light on Antifa. This act, labeled by some as a thought crime, was a line I couldn’t cross without facing backlash. Unfortunately, I received minimal understanding and backing from my fellow musicians and bandmates.

Me: “Andy Ngo is a brave man. Antifa are bad. BLM Riots are bad”

Music industry: widespread condemnation

Kneecap: “Hamas good. Hezbollah good. Kill Tory MPs.”

Music industry: widespread support

Beyond what he initially posted on social media, Marshall also delved deeper, exposing the hypocrisy in the open letter by referring to the past few years as evidence for his argument.

He’s right, and none of this is new in the artistic community.

During the so-called “woke era,” Hollywood generally abstained from defending free speech. Many artists remained mostly quiet while controversial art was eliminated or labeled with trigger warnings. They chose not to speak up as passages by well-known authors such as Roald Dahl, Ian Fleming, and Agatha Christie were edited by “sensitivity readers.

Comedians howled as classic works by Dr. Seuss got memory-holed.

Under intense scrutiny, most stars chose to remain silent while comedians faced challenges, some even worrying about the impact on their careers.

And many artists cheered when a former U.S. president got booted from social media platforms.

As a film enthusiast, I’d say if the musicians from Kneecap had voiced their opinions on the free speech matters at hand, they would have been on solid ground, morally speaking. Marshall’s X post made this point crystal clear.

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2025-05-02 00:03