Guillermo Izquierdosinger and guitarist of Angelus Apatridaon behalf of the entire group, he has launched a statement in networks, pronouncing on the issue of festivals and investment funds.
As a representative of what is one of the most important bands of the Spanish metal of the last decades – in addition to the most international -, Guillermo Izquierdo, singer and guitar of Angelus Apatridahe has starred in Instagram pronouncing on the controversy that the news published a few days ago by the jump and generated reactions of both bands and the festivals themselves through communications. You can see Our first news here with groups reactions and the second here with the festivals’ communiqués.
The musician’s statement comes to put a little head to everything that has been saying during the last days on social networks. And it does so from the perspective of a group that some fans ask that they stop acting and support many of the festivals indicated with their finger. Obviously positioning what is happening in Gaza and respecting the opinion of other bands that have decided to join the boycott to the aforementioned events, Angelus Apatrida have decided to move forward without joining the wave and especially explaining their motives very clearly.
You can see the statement in the video or read it:
“We do not want this to be used as a weapon or pressure measure for other artists, much less as a policy. We only want to listen to us, and if it is the case, that you understand both our situation and our point of view. We also want to show our absolute support to the partners who have pronounced and have publicly disconnected some of the festivals in question, with all that that entails. Posture that we have always defended as a band and as individuals and condemn with maximum forcefulness the genocide that the Palestinian people are suffering by the Zionist state of Israel.
On the other hand, we would like to expose the case of Angelus to apply to our fans and followers, since we are a metal band that has been working for many years in the international circuit. We are a small company of workers and freelancers, where most of our income comes from large festivals throughout the world, especially in Europe and, of course, here in Spain. We imagine that you will have read the communications that have published different festivals, with more or less success, about the involvement that KKR has, the partners, the shares, investments, and so on. That it is clear that we are not here to defend any festival or any businessman, much less. We are here to defend ourselves, of attacks and signs, and try to give our point of view with a little coherence and objectivity. As with KKR, also with Blackrock, JP Morgan or Bayly Gifford, to name some of the largest firms, they are present in thousands of companies and corporations that we use of their products and services. And we contribute our money, not only in the music or leisure industry. To see some examples: Repsol, Amazon, Apple, HP, Carrefour, Iberdrola, Inditex, Natural Gear, Banco Santander, BBVA, Spotify, Coca-Cola and thus an infinite list of companies that have as investors these KKR or other similar signatures and collaborate directly or indirectly with the world’s armament industry, not only in the occupation and the genocide, but also in others world territories.
We recommend you strongly, if you are interested, that you follow the BDS Movement accounts to know much more about this, as well as the global and coordinated actions they carry out and how it can be an active part against all this. We are expected and asked to retire from the Resu poster and that we do not act again at any festival where this investment fund is involved. And with the other festivals and rooms, not only in Spain, in the rest of the world, where these investment funds and others are also where sponsors are brands, companies and corporations that are also a direct or indirect part of this. What do we do? In our specific case, I speak exclusively of Angelus Apatrida. What do we do? To be 100% coherent, with this we should cancel practically everything. We should also even abandon our record, that of a lifetime, because a few years ago it was bought by a large multinational such as Sony Music, where some of these firms also participate, for example. Because sadly, this is how this world works. And if for that reason we cancel one, we talk about Angelus Apatrida again, we should cancel everything. This is our only job, we have no other work.
This is our main source of income and is a very worthy job, ours, that of our technicians, monters, and so on. That it has cost us a lot of time to get and keep afloat. If not, we should change their jobs and change life, because the bands like we live in the live and selling in merchandising, there are almost no records. We cannot keep only with the most modest and independent festivals, which we take to send us all our support and affection, and those that invite you to massively support so that the scene can have much more independence in the future. Nor do we live only from our self -managed concerts in private rooms, where less and less early tickets are sold, there are much more competition, more tours are canceled and everything is much more expensive and complicated. We also make this reflection regarding the ramifications of these funds. Would anyone stop working in their repsol or BP-dependent position, or BBVA cashier, or Santander Bank, or replenished in Carrefour, Zara’s dependent, or the one who makes piecework to piecework in McDonald’s or the Burger King, or the Coca-Cola or Airbus factory pawn?
Are we also going to demand that these workers leave their positions not to be accomplices? No, right? Of course, because it is not fair. And this is not like saying: that you do it too, and you more, or how the world is like that, everything goes. No, no, no, no, no, the great festivals have never been free of the claws of these firms, in the form of investors or sponsors, but they have always been a great speaker to continue expressing messages and complaints through music. In summary, we are workers who lived from our work and nobody is safe from the owners of the world. This system, unfortunately, is what it is. It is not necessary to understand how the music industry works to understand how the modern world in which we live works. Globalized, ultracapitalist, relentless and ruthless. We did not want to say something that was not agreed or had acted hot and we wanted to give us a few days to think and see how to act in this complicated situation we met. We speak with the heart in hand and with the greatest sincerity. And we infinitely appreciate your patience and understanding. Health and see you soon. “
See this post on Instagram
