Pulp to play Adelaide festival after organisers apologise to Randa Abdel-Fattah

British indie band Pulp will perform at the Adelaide festival on 27 February after initially withdrawing in protest at the barring of Palestinian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah.

The band said on social media on Thursday night they would "honour our invitation to perform in Adelaide on 27 February" after festival organisers apologised to Abdel-Fattah for her treatment and invited her to speak at next year’s event. Abdel-Fattah was barred from the Adelaide writers’ week last week because of "cultural sensitivity" in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, a move that prompted dozens of other speakers to boycott the event.

Pulp said they had been asked to delay announcing their withdrawal while organisers sought to resolve the situation. The board responsible for the decision to bar Abdel-Fattah has mostly stood down and been replaced, the whole writers’ week was scrapped, and Abdel-Fattah was invited to appear at the 2027 event.

In their statement the band said they were "appalled" by the circumstances of Abdel-Fattah's cancellation and that they "refuse to condone the silencing of voices". Jarvis Cocker wrote on Instagram that Pulp had initially pulled out because of the "dreadful situation" but were now "prepared to perform at the music festival once more"; he added, "This will be a free concert, open to anyone who respects the freedom of all voices to be heard. It will also be fun."

Key Topics

Culture, Pulp, Randa Abdel-fattah, Adelaide Festival, Adelaide Writers' Week, Jarvis Cocker