Glastonbury 2019: Band who called for Tories to be killed have slot axed

Glastonbury festivalPA

There was no Glastonbury Festival in 2018

A band criticised for calling on members of the Conservative Party to be killed have had their Glastonbury Festival booking cancelled.

Killdren were invited to appear at Glastonbury's Shangri-Hell International TV stage on 28 June.

One of their songs is called Kill Tory Scum - which the Jo Cox Foundation said has "completely abhorrent" language.

In a statement, Shangri-La said it was "incredibly saddened" at the attention the Killdren booking received.

It added: "We in no way condone violence and will not allow this matter to overshadow the incredibly inclusive spirit of Glastonbury.

"As a result we have taken the decision to withdraw the booking".

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by Shangri-La Glasto

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Killdren's lyrics include: "Even if it's your dad or your mum, kill Tory scum, kill Tory scum...murder them all to the beat of a drum, kill Tory scum, kill Tory scum."

The band also played a graphic set at Boomtown Fair 2018, in which they kicked, punched, and spat at a man dressed in a suit, while wearing Kill Tory Scum clothing.

'Devastating toll'

News of the booking was first reported by the Sunday Times.

When asked about the song, the band told the paper: "The piece would not exist if the destructive and violent policies of the Tory party hadn't taken such a devastating toll on the UK."

Another band due to play at Glastonbury - Fat White Family - have also previously called for violence against Conservatives on social media.

Fat White Family performing at Glastonbury 2015

In a 2015 tweet, the punk rock band, from south-east London, said anyone who voted Tory had "blood" on their hands, and called for them to be executed.

A year earlier, they said Tories should be hanged.

The Fat White Family is still due to play at Glastonbury on 30 June on the Park Stage.

More on this story