Pulp have confirmed they will play the Adelaide Music Festival later this year after a boycott over a cancelled appearance from another guest is resolved.
The Jarvis Cocker-fronted group announced an Australian and New Zealand leg of the More tour late last year, but privately pulled out of the Adelaide Festival performance. The festival board had cancelled an appearance from Dr. Randa Abdel-Fattah, an Australian sociologist and Palestinian advocate. The new festival board has since apologised to Dr. Abdel-Fattah, reversing the decision of the old board, which has resigned. The u-turn from Adelaide Festival has satisfied some who were set to boycott the festival for removing Dr. Abdel-Fattah. Pulp has since released a statement confirming they were asked to delay an announcement of their part in the boycott, but that the issue has been resolved and they now feel comfortable performing at the festival.
A statement released by the band reads: “Pulp were appalled to hear of the circumstances in which the Adelaide Festival board had cancelled the scheduled appearance of Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, and respect those who immediately spoke out against this decision.
“We want to make it absolutely clear that Pulp refuse to condone the silencing of voices. We celebrate difference, and oppose censorship, violence and oppression in all its forms.
“Our management and representatives have been in dialogue with the festival organisers since last week, when the situation was first made public. Having informed them that we had decided to withdraw from the festival in support of the boycott, we were asked to delay an announcement while they sought to resolve this crisis for all sides.
“It is our understanding that the festival programmers are now acting in good faith. The festival board that made this dreadful decision have been replaced, and a full apology has been accepted by Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, who has been invited to appear next year.
“Given this new and welcome development we feel able, in good conscience, to honour our invitation to perform in Adelaide on 27 February. We hope that our free concert will be an opportunity for different communities to come together in peace and harmony.”
A public statement from the Adelaide Festival Corporation board, released earlier today, retracted a previous statement and invited Dr. Abdel-Fattah to next year’s Writers Week event.
Their statement reads: “On 8 January 2026 the Adelaide Festival Corporation published a statement announcing that it had decided to exclude Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah from participating as a speaker at Adelaide Writers’ Week this year. We stated that this was because it would be culturally insensitive to allow her to participate.
“We retract that statement. We have reversed the decision and will reinstate Dr Abdel-Fattah’s invitation to speak at the next Adelaide Writers’ Week in 2027. We apologise to Dr Abdel-Fattah unreservedly for the harm the Adelaide Festival Corporation has caused her.
“Intellectual and artistic freedom is a powerful human right. Our goal is to uphold it, and in this instance, Adelaide Festival Corporation fell well short.”
Pulp frontman Cocker added further detail to the band’s statement with an Instagram post featuring Dr. Abdel-Fattah. He wrote: “This is Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah. You may have heard about her: she was ‘removed’ from the Adelaide Writers Festival. This led to an uproar which in turn led to the collapse of the festival.
“Pulp were scheduled to play the Adelaide Music Festival on February 27th. We told the festival organisers that we wouldn’t be able to play due to the dreadful situation with Dr Randa. We were asked to delay making this statement. They have now changed that situation and issued an apology to Dr Randa. Dr Randa is happy with that apology.
“We are happy that the situation has been dealt with & are now prepared to perform at the music festival once more. This will be a free concert, open to anyone who respects the freedom of all voices to be heard. It will also be fun.”
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