Having announce a European tour in February, including a date in Tel Aviv, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds faced calls from a number of other musicians and cultural figures, including Brian Eno and Roger Waters, to cancel the date and support the cultural boycott in Israel.
Cave responded to this criticism in a recent press conference, saying that if musicians choose to play shows in Israel, they "have to go through a sort of public humiliation from Roger Waters and co."
He continued: "After a lot of thought and consideration, I rang up my people and said, ‘We’re doing a European tour and Israel.’ Because it suddenly became very important to make a stand against those people who are trying to shut down musicians, to bully musicians, to censor musicians, and to silence musicians."
Cave also said that he "loves Israel", and that he wanted to take "a principled stand against anyone who tries to censor and silence musicians. So really, you could say, in a way, that the [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement] made me play Israel."
The band played in Tel Aviv last night, and will play a second show there tonight.
Responding to Cave’s comments, the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel said: "Nick Cave’s performances in Tel Aviv and recent statement are a propaganda gift to Israeli apartheid. We thank Nick Cave for making one thing abundantly clear—playing Tel Aviv is never simply about music. It is a political and moral decision to stand with the oppressor against the oppressed."
The criticism of Cave follows that of Radiohead who chose to play in the country in July.
