Controversy surrounds Irish post-punk band The Murder Capital as both their scheduled concerts in Germany were abruptly cancelled over the weekend. The reason? Their continued refusal to remove a Palestinian flag from their stage setup.
The band was set to perform at Berlin’s Gretchen club on May 10 and Cologne’s Gebäude 9 on May 11. However, both venues pulled out after the band insisted on displaying the flag — a consistent element of their recent shows in solidarity with Palestine.
Speaking directly to fans outside the Berlin venue, frontman James McGovern explained their stance while holding the flag: “We arrived this morning in Berlin and had no idea it was forbidden to display this flag,” he said. “We debated what the right thing to do was and decided not to remove the flag. This isn’t just political — it’s humanitarian. People are dying every day.”
McGovern emphasized that the band would not compromise its values for the sake of appeasing venues. “We’ve flown this flag on stage countless times. Removing it now would have been wrong,” he stated, later performing an impromptu acoustic set for disappointed fans outside the venue.
When the same issue occurred the following night in Cologne, the group attempted to relocate but ultimately staged another open-air acoustic set instead.
The cancellations have sparked debate over artistic freedom and political expression in live music spaces. The band, long vocal on global issues, previously donated proceeds from their single Love of Country to Medical Aid for Palestinians.
The Murder Capital will continue their tour in Brussels, the Netherlands, France, Greece, Ireland and Italy.