Bambie Thug has dedicated a performance of The Cranberries’ ‘Zombie’ at Download Festival to the people of Palestine.
The artist, who memorably represented Ireland at this year’s Eurovision, played the Apex Stage at the Donington festival yesterday (June 14) and took the time to highlight the cause that is close to their heart.
After singing the track ‘Trash’ from inside a wheelie bin, Bambie said, “You know what else is trash? Governments that allow genocides to happen. Our voices are more important than ever.”
They then played a cover of ‘Zombie’, a song about the innocent victims of political violence, before rounding off the song with a cry of “Free Palestine”.
Bambie had previously shared a recorded version of the cover earlier this year, which you can listen to below.
The musician spoke to NME in May about playing the main stage of Download Festival this weekend, calling it “mental”.
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“I can’t wait,” they told NME. “After Eurovision I was like, ‘I’m going to be so bored’. Then I realised I only have a few weeks before Download, so it’s not going to stop,” they said. “It feels even better because obviously I have bits in my music that are metal, but I cross a lot of genres.
“To be given that opportunity again on another amazing platform when I do not fit into the standard box of what you would expect there is incredible. I’m super grateful – I’m going to be waking everyone up!”
Bambie placed sixth representing Ireland in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest with a showstopping performance of ‘Doomsday Blue’. The artist later accused the event’s organisers of “not supporting them” over claims that the Israeli broadcasters “incited violence” against them.
It came after a tumultuous few weeks for Bambie Thug and Eurovision. The self-described ‘ouija-pop’ artist ended their performance by proclaiming “Love will triumph over hate”, and immediately afterwards claimed that the organisers did not fully represent “what Eurovision is”.
The artist had been forced to remove the words “ceasefire” and “freedom for Palestine” in a medieval script from their costume due to the contest’s political neutrality clause, and it appears that their comments from the stage were a way of showing support for Palestine.
Bambie Thug recently announced a UK and European tour, titled ‘Crown The Witch’. Kicking off in Brighton on August 30, they will take in cities including London, Manchester and Glasgow before heading to the continent. The tour wraps with a hometown show at Cork’s City Hall on November 7. See the full list of dates here and find your UK tickets here.
“So excited to bring Ouija Pop to so many countries on my first ever headline run with ‘Crown The Witch Tour’,” the artist said. “Expect magic, music and more. Look forward to welcoming you into the coven x”