Sex On Fire rockers Kings Of Leon are closing the final night of the Victorious Festival which has hit controversy over a pro-Palestine protest.
Three bands boycotted the event on Southsea Common in Portsmouth, Hampshire, after Irish folk music band The Mary Wallopers claimed they were “cut off” for displaying a Palestinian flag during their set and declaring “Free Palestine”.
The Last Dinner Party, Cliffords and The Academic announced on Saturday that they would no longer be performing following Friday’s incident.
The organisers, who claimed the band had their set cut short for using a “discriminatory” chant, have since issued an apology to the band and pledged to make “a substantial donation to humanitarian relief efforts for the Palestinian people”.
The festival said in a statement: “We absolutely support the right of artists to freely express their views from the stage, within the law and the inclusive nature of the event.
“Our policy of not allowing flags of any kind, which has been in place for many years for wider event management and safety reasons, is not meant to compromise that right.”
Saturday night headliners Vampire Weekend addressed the issue at the start of their set when lead singer Ezra Koenig said: “If someone was censored for flying a flag then that’s wrong and they deserve an apology.”
He added that the people of Palestine “deserve our sympathies”.
The New York band was given an extended set time because of the acts which had pulled out which allowed them to play improvised songs suggested by the audience including Buddy Holly by Weezer and to the crowd’s delight Common People by Pulp.
Scottish rockers Travis took the sundown slot ahead of the headliners and got the crowd singing along with hit Why Does It Always Rain on Me?
As well as the boycotting bands, the festival has also had to fill slots vacated by comedian Chris McCausland and Michael Kiwanuka because of illness with Kaiser Chiefs stepping in to take the place of the singer-songwriter on Saturday.
But Kings Of Leon, from Nashville, Tennessee, who have had to cancel their other UK shows earlier in the summer after frontman Caleb Followill suffered a “freak accident” are still set to headline the closing night on Sunday.
According to a statement from the band, Followill had a “serious” shattered heel injury and needed “a significant emergency surgery that will prevent him from travelling and performing”.
The Friday night headline slots at Victorious were taken by Queens Of The Stone Age and ska legends Madness.
