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Russian hardcore punk ex-pats Svetlanas have bailed on their tour with Barb Wire Dolls after an alleged Nazi incident at a show in New Hampshire.
The show in question went down on Friday (November 3) at Jewel in Manchester, the night after the tour hit Thunder Road in Somerville. According to Svetlanas, someone showed up to the gig wearing an “SS skull patch,” and after the venue did not act swiftly to remove the patron, the band decided to not play the gig.
Just after 10 p.m. Friday night, Svetlanas wrote on Facebook: “WE DON’T TOLLERATE NAZI PEOPLE AT ANY SVETLANAS SHOW. For this reason we just cancelled tonight show at Jewel Night Club in Manchester, NH. Any venue’s owner / promoter hosting a punk show it’s fully responsible for the presence of people wearing nazi symbols of any kind and any band should take a position. We did it. KEEP IT REAL”.
The next day, as the tour, which also featured South Korean duo 57, made its way to Providence, Svetlanas announced they left the 41-date run, which has roughly 18 gigs left as it makes its way back to Los Angeles. Svetlanas noted that a lack of support from Barb Wire Dolls — who went on to play the Manchester gig — factored into their decision.
“TOUR IS OVER,” Svetlanas wrote. “After the recent events, the countless pubblic and private death threats posts and not receiving, one more time, the support we need from the band we are touring with that refuses to take a clear stand against nazism, WE ARE FORCED to stop this US tour for deep and unresolvible devergences. We apologize with our fans and supporters but we do have to keep a clear position against ANY kind of violence and discrimination. Go back to school to learn history kids. This is SVETLANAS and if you don’t like it GO FUCK YOU SELF”.
Barb Wire Dolls responded to Svetlanas late Saturday night / early Sunday morning, around 1:30 a.m., stating they were aware of the real situation at Jewel but decided to play the show anyway because they were contracted to. They write:
“ANNOUNCEMENT: In the last 7 years we’ve played hundreds and hundreds of shows in lots of countries and we’ve never had any issue with discrimination or hate at our shows…until last night. Let it be known that we don’t tolerate discrimination or hate at our shows because we’re all about sharing the music with good loving vibrations. We’re very saddened to hear that both supporting bands, SVETLANAS and 57, have left the tour as of tonight because of circumstances that happened at last night’s show that involved discrimination and hate from someone we don’t know who attended the show. We’re very sorry that we didn’t back up the Svetlanas as they told us that we should cancel the show and leave, but at that time we were given false information from others at the venue and not until the today did we find out the full truth…but thats no excuse. We played the show. We apologize to them. We have never wanted or tolerated Nazis at our shows and never will. There has been many misunderstandings and false information put forth by others. We wish both bands the best and all of our remaining shows will go on as usual – and we’re doing our best to spread more love into this world. It needs it now more than ever.”
Several hours later, just before noon local time on Sunday, Svetlanas made one final statement, adding that 57 had left the tour as well.
“Reading all these comments and understanding the meaning of our post is being modified or misinterpreted we think it’s time to make it even more clear,” Svetlanas write. “The main reason for us to stop this tour is: We don’t want and can’t continue to support on or off the stage a band that after a long face to face talk says everyone including nazis are welcome at their show and that an SS skull patch is just an opinion. We have found many divergences with Barb Wire Dolls during this tour but this is the highest reachable level for us and we cannot accept it. Their subsequent excuses looks like a pathetic trying to hide the dirt under the carpet and we are glad to announce the S.Korean band 57 decided to leave this ambiguous tour as well.”
After last night’s show in Philly, Barn Wire Dolls’ tour continues on Tuesday night in Baltimore.
[Featured Svetlanas image by Matthew Shelter, from Thursday’s Thunder Road show in Somerville; h/t Dying Scene]