Toronto art punks Luge have announced their withdrawal from SXSW 2024, citing its ties to the US Army and defence industry.
"After learning about [SXSW's] ties to the defense industry and war profiteers, we're no longer ok with participating and won't be playing any official showcases," the band shared in a statement on Instagram.
The US Army is among SXSW's key sponsors for 2024, and is heavily involved in presenting panel discussions and brand activations throughout the festival, ranging from "Yoga in Formation: Army-Inspired Mind and Body Balance" to "Humanoids or Augmented Humans: Accelerating Autonomy with AI."
Luge thanked Squirrel Flower's Ella Williams — who announced her withdrawal earlier this week — as an artist who has "led the way on this and shown solidarity," in addition to local organization Austin for Palestine Coalition and the Union of Muscians & Allied Workers (UMAW) for raising awareness.
While they won't be performing at official SXSW showcases as planned, Luge still have a trio of unofficial performances in Austin during that time. You can find dates and venues for those performances listed below.
Last year, Luge released fourth full-length I Love It Here, I Live Here.