The Wireless music festival has been cancelled after the artist formerly known as Kanye West was banned from entering the UK amid a deepening political row over his previous antisemitic statements.
West, who is legally known as Ye, made an application to travel to the UK via an Electronic Travel Authorisation on Monday but it has been blocked by officials.
A spokesperson for the festival confirmed it would no longer go ahead in July after the government decision was announced, and said refunds would be issued to those who had already bought tickets.
The statement read: “The Home Office has withdrawn Ye’s ETA, denying him entry into the United Kingdom. As a result, Wireless festival is cancelled and refunds will be issued to all ticket holders.
He has to apply to travel to UK?
Yes, he’d be working. You need a work permit. Also tourists often need visas too. However, for artists, they need a work visa to enter and work.
Good, fuck Kanye
I don’t know who this person is, but doing some research this “wireless festival” is managed by some American entertainment company called “Live Nation Entertainment”, so that’s typical.
The non-typical part is that Live Nation are issuing refunds. Usually when an artist drops out for any reason they just steal the money. It must be nice having consumer protection laws and anti-monopoly enforcement.
Live nation entertainment is the company formed after Ticketmaster merged with live nation. Concert promotion and ticket sales. So they have a long rap sheet of alleged but obvious price fixing and anti competitive lawsuits and allegations.
As for not knowing who kanye west is… Let’s just say he is a mentally unstable black hiphop artist and self confessed nazi, as per his last unmedicated manic episode and subsequent album. And media interviews. And vocal trump support. Its a roller coaster of a ride. Also he married Kim Kardashian and that’s not even the top ten of questionable decisions he’s made in the past decade.
I guess it only pays to be a Nazi in the United States.
The Brits only like homegrown Nazis
So are the Wireless festival people completely clueless and ignorant or do they share a world view with kanye?
Maybe they just really bought his full page Wall Street journal apology letter?
https://dam.tmz.com/document/58/o/2026/01/26/588da5bbba7246dab3a39b3befbabb72.pdf
Probably C) they don’t give a shit because profit.
Okay sure but a good businessman or businessmanwoman would have realized that it is not good business to invite a nazi to perform at your festival
Except he still somehow draws crowds of people who agrees with his views. It’s a damning commentary on our society.
Also those who claim to “separate the art from the artist.”
they tried to justify it with crosby, i was watching a yt video where a bunch of guest said to the main owners , said he coulve drawn his inspiration from SA-ing/ SH people
Yeah but as we can see, it wasn’t a good money making decision. And it wasn’t that difficult to predict that would be the case. If a moron like me saw this coming, surely the festival people should have also.
But from what I’ve witnessed in the past… decade or two, the people in charge of things are utter morons.
From the article …
“As with every Wireless festival, multiple stakeholders were consulted in advance of booking Ye and no concerns were highlighted at the time."
So they were aware, didn’t care or supported his madness. I hope they feel some consequences.
50,000 dickheads still bought his album in the US alone.
Like Nazis don’t have money to spend?
Perhaps they do. Still a stupid decision to get him to perform. As evidenced by what ended up happening, the whole thing went tits up. Completely predictably.
He recently apologized and said more or less he’s back on the meds. I could see them opening back up to him if they felt it was genuine and the government stepping in to say it doesn’t matter if he apologized.
As a bipolar man,fuck him, sure the things we do and say are not entirely our fault but they are 100% our responsibility. If he wants to apologize and be forgiven he needs to put in the work, spend his money and time helping people, speak out about awareness and rebuild the respect.
His actions told bipolar people “hey don’t take your meds and you will get rich”
And told people “bipolar people are abusive nazis”
Saying "I’m sorry, give me money " should not be ok.
I reiterate fuck him.
Just because he apologized and is on the path to rehab doesn’t mean I have to accept him. Like sure I wish him the best to be better, but I don’t necessarily need to accept him.
He apologised and started taking meds and then relapsed how many times already?
Too many, I’d side with the government morally on Ye. Not sure whether they should be the final say on who fits that description though since they think Kneecap fits it too.
Ehh… better to wait 5 years to make sure. Or 50.
KIM told him to take med like years ago he just dint listen.
Historically the only effective medication for Nazism has been lead administered at high velocity or a rope applied topically to the neck. Mental illness does not make one a nazi. Being a nazi does. His medication status is irrelevant.
Nazis are leading in the polls in the UK, perhaps they figured West’s antisemitic comments would make for a good selling point.
Not to mention everyone that paid for tickets.
Why not both?
Sure, that’d be the third option. The first option doesn’t necessarily mean they support the guys… “ideas”
they cant be that ignorant to not know who he supports now, they know full well, its like the HP fans. hes been doing this for years already. my bro loves him and hes completely ignorant to his anti-semitic behaviour, and he knows that he is that way, he just blows it off as fake news or misinformation.
Why weren’t they banned?
Rare UK W
Kanye West is old garbage. Like oldies rap for millennial edge lords. Funny because hitler would have sent his black ass to the gas chamber first lol.
How shit is this festival that if one act falls through they cancel the entire fucking thing…
Very shit. But tbf the festival’s corporate sponsors like Pepsi had already pulled their funding after Ye was announced as a guest. And then the organizers would have to find a replacement act that would draw audiences, and still have to offer refunds after a replacement act was found. And I imagine there would be controversy towards any replacement act they did find, both from the deranged Ye fans and haters.
FAFO
Is it really a “festival” if pulling one headlining act cancels the entire thing?
From the article …
The decision to ban Ye left the Wireless organisers with three headline slots to fill at just three months’ notice. The ban came on the day presales began for this summer’s events, which were already competing in a busy field of London day festivals.
I know, I was alluding to them making do with their current lineups and maybe upgrading some artists as the headlining acts if they can’t get replacements. I’m sure there are other popular artists on their lineup. I guess the presales went dry when news of the ban was announced.
I don’t understand it either. It’s in London, there are tons of artists in London, even more tons of people going to concerts. It’s weird.
Ha ha!
It’s amazing how we don’t need any additional context cues to know precisely how this is supposed to sound.
West, who is legally known as Ye, made an application to travel to the UK via an Electronic Travel Authorisation on Monday but it has been blocked by officials.
Listen, he’s a loser and a POS. I don’t particularly like the guy. All is current music sucks.
But this whole UK fascist turn wrt to Israel is not the way. Straight up blocking people from entering your country, because someone in the Home Secretary’s office as beef, is a bleak way to run a country.
The number of Musicians, Politicians, and Religious Leaders on this list really leaves the impression that it’s arbitrary and personal, especially when you consider who is coming and going through the UK at will.
West has said literally nothing about Israel, he’s been spouting racist, antisemitic, Holocaust-denying garbage for years and has been screaming openly and proudly that he’s a nazi. His antisemitism is built around his delusions of being prosecuted by the jewish musical lobby. His latest hit is a song whose refrain goes “nigga heil Hitler, nigga heil Hitler”. Any person with a modicum of moral integrity ought to have a “beef” with this idiot. Scroll through https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Views_of_Kanye_West a bit.
Trying to whitewash a bald-faced nazi into a mere “POS” who’s a victim of UK’s “fascism” is revolting. I mean it. Please read through the above link and reconsider.
The number of Musicians, Politicians, and Religious Leaders on this list really leaves the impression that it’s arbitrary and personal
Those arbitrary bans for reasons such as, uhh, “systematic approach to the torture and murder of civilians”, “criminal convictions”, “war crimes”, “anti-LGBT rhetoric” and “involvement in London bombings”???
Boo hoo, a country doesn’t let a fascist in.
Countries have no obligation to let people from other countries in. It’s a good will gesture to do so. And why on earth would you show good will to a fascist?
The UK has every right to deny Ye entry, the issue is that the law is so vague that it’s implemention is up to the home office and largely used to pander to the (foreign/non-dom owned) press, the UK has effective abdicated control of its borders to the media.
Ironically this also weakens democracy in favor of an all powerful executive.
Boo hoo, a country doesn’t let a fascist in.
It does let them in. The UK has no problem with fascists, just so long as they’re British Fascists.
Yeah. That’s pretty much the point of citizenship.
Fascists do love using lack of citizenship to legitimize violence.
He is literally a Nazi. This was just over a year ago:
https://www.newsweek.com/kanye-west-proclaims-hes-nazi-praises-hitler-x-rant-2027943
It’ll take more than an apology to make up for that shit.
He is literally a Nazi
Is he?
Does he organize nationalists or promote white supremacy or does he just say stupid shit?
Because if it’s the latter this will be weaponized against anyone left of center far more effective than this.
Wether it’s Ye or Kneecap, having visa laws/the right to perform applied to individuals on a whim to pander to the media, is bad and reduces the rights of everyone.
Ironically this weakens democracy in favor of an all powerful executive.
Yes. He is an actual fucking nazi. He sold merchandise glorifying Hitler. Precisely the sort of person borders are supposed to keep out.
promote white supremacy
Yeah he did that one
Ye
Today I learned he actually legally changed his name to “Ye”. Fucking pretentious and stupid.
