The Murder Capital’s stance on Palestine has now cost them two shows in Germany. Following the cancellation of their first Berlin gig, the Irish five-piece were forced to pull their Cologne show the very next night (May 11).
This was after the venue, Gebäude 9, reportedly told them they could not display a Palestinian flag on stage. The band subsequently refused to comply, and the show was called off.
In response, they will perform an acoustic set in Cologne’s Rheinpark instead. This show will be outdoors and open to the public. “Everyone is welcome,” they subsequently posted.
Speaking in a video shared to social media, frontman James McGovern said the group had “tried everything” to find a replacement venue. Despite doing so though, they were subsequently left with no option. “What happened in Berlin yesterday, we hoped would be an isolated incident,” he said. “It wasn’t.”
The band has made their position clear over the last year, regularly displaying the Palestinian flag during live sets and donating proceeds from their song Love of Country to humanitarian aid. For McGovern, this isn’t about optics or provocation, it’s about bearing witness.
“These people are being eradicated, being starved, being bombed,” he said. “Us having a flag on our stage at a rock show is not a political statement, it is a human reaction to a horrific and unimaginable situation.”
Germany’s strict laws and public stance on antisemitism have made this a flashpoint for artists speaking out on the war in Gaza. Irish rap group Kneecap were recently dropped from German festival lineups for similar reasons.
Despite the cancellations, The Murder Capital haven’t softened their message. “We stand forever with the people of Palestine,” McGovern said. “Free the people of Palestine. Love from us.”
The band continues their European tour in the coming weeks and will play their biggest headline show yet at Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens this July. Whether venues approve or not, The Murder Capital clearly won’t be playing it safe.
