"Just say you support racism and transphobia": Sticky Fingers band controversy explored as King Gizzard cancel Bluesfest appearance

King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard have canceled their show at the Byron Bay Bluesfest festival over the booking of Sticky Fingers. The latter has been met with racism, transphobia, and violent allegations, leading to them losing a flurry of followers. Netizens have since called out the festival for inviting the band to play alongside Sampa The Great.

Today, King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard took to their official Instagram account and announced the “stand against misogyny, racism, transphobia, and violence.” They expressed their disappointment at seeing Byron Bay Bluesfest continue to support Sticky Fingers. They went on to add:

“Given this decision by the festival, we have decided to cancel our appearance at Bluesfest. We are deeply disappointed to be in this position but sometimes you need to be willing to make sacrifices to stand up for your values. This is, unfortunately, one of those moments.”

King Gizzard was scheduled to perform on Friday, April 7, 2023. Sticky Fingers will take to the Bluesfest stage on Saturday, April 8, 2023.

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What did Sticky Fingers do?

Dylan Frost, the frontman of the Australian indie band, was accused of being violent towards singer-songwriter Thelma Plum. In a now-deleted Facebook post, she revealed that she “never felt so unsafe” after her run-in with Frost at a Sydney pub. She revealed in the post:

“I 100 per cent thought I was going to be punched in the face but luckily each time he swung his friend was standing in the middle. I have now gotten to the point where I fail to understand why people make excuses for him.”

She also revealed that he spat on her during their meeting.

Guitarist Birrugan Dunn-Velasco also accused Dylan Frost of racism. While his group spoke about the abuse of children in the Don Dale detention center, Frost allegedly hurled racist phrases at the group. Speaking about the verbal abuse his group faced during the performance, Dunn-Velasco said in the past:

“We walked off stage when the lead singer of Sticky Fingers among many others began grossly shirt fronting us yelling that we are the ones not listening.”

Frost and fellow bandmate Paddy Cornwall also got into a serious physical altercation at the concert venue, which ended with the latter pleading guilty to affray. He was sentenced to 18 months in community service.

In response to the multiple allegations against him, Frost apologized for his “unacceptable” behavior in 2018 and claimed to be entering rehab and therapy.

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Byron Bay Bluesfest defends their decision to include Sticky Fingers in their line-up

Peter Noble, the director of Bluesfest, defended Sticky Fingers and urged followers of the festival to forgive the brand and let Frost move forward with his life.

In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Noble stated that everyone “has the right to be forgiven” and that Dylan Frost is attempting to show who he can be. The festival also claimed to be inclusive and urged followers to give Frost “a chance.”

In response, artists Jaguar Jonze and Camp Cope’s Sarah Thompson expressed shock. The former stated that she was “disgusted and sickened” to see Sticky Fingers glamorized and brought back into the music scene. Thompson called Bluesfest “the most tone-deaf promoters in the country.”