Damon Albarn, PinkPantheress & More Join Brian Eno's Together for Palestinian Relief Concert
Taking place at London's OVO Arena Wembley on Sept. 17, the event will raise funds for the Choose Love charity, with all proceeds going to support Palestinian-led organizations providing humanitarian relief. Tickets are available now via My Ticket.
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Other acts confirmed to perform at the show include Bastille, Cat Burns, Greentea Peng, Hot Chip, James Blake, King Krule, Mabel, Obongjayar, Paloma Faith, Rachel Chinouriri and Sampha alongside Palestinian artists such as Adnan Joubran, Faraj Suleiman and Nai Barghouti, with more performers to be announced in the coming weeks. PinkPantheress, Rina Sawayama and Riz Ahmed are also slated to contribute with an appearance. More names are set to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Eno will serve as executive producer for the evening along with production managers Khaled Ziada, Khalid Abdalla and Tracey Seaward. 'In the face of the horrors of Gaza, silence becomes complicity. Artists have always helped societies to point out injustice and imagine better futures,' he said in a statement. 'That's why this concert matters. It's time for us to come together – not just to raise our voices, but to reaffirm our shared humanity.'
Ziada added, 'In a world where governments and mainstream media have fallen silent in the face of genocide, this gathering becomes a chorus of resistance – where artists and communities come together to grieve, to rage and to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Palestinian people, and with all those who suffer injustice.'
Upon announcing the event July 31, Eno posted a lengthy statement to Instagram that discussed his intentions behind launching Together for Palestine.
'What we are witnessing in Gaza isn't a mystery, and neither is it a blur of competing narratives making it 'hard to understand',' it read in part. 'When dozens of non-partisan organisations like Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders describe it as genocide, the moral line is clear. We can't remain silent. Which is why I'm helping to organise Together for Palestine – a night of music, reflection and hope at Wembley Arena.'
He added: 'My sincere belief is that this evening can become a moment of courage where artists come together to speak the truth in their hearts – which is what we trust artists to do. Whether on stage or by video from around the world, this is a chance for us to stand together and say: this can't continue.'
The war was sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, during which more than 1,200 Israeli civilians were killed by Hamas fighters, who also took more than 250 hostages. Since then, Gaza's Health Ministry has reported that more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed. In late July, the World Health Organization reported that malnutrition rates among civilians and children have reached alarming levels.
Eno formed part of a group of musicians in July who announced the formation of a syndicate for artists speaking out about Israel's military assault on Gaza, who they say have been subjected to 'aggressive, vexatious campaigns' by pro-Israel advocates. Other names involved include Fontaines D.C., Kneecap and Massive Attack.
Posting on Instagram, the artists said their aim was to protect other artists, particularly those at early stages of their careers, from being 'threatened into silence or career cancellation' by organizations such as U.K. Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI).
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