Kneepcap. Photo: Raph PH. Wikimedia. CC BY 2.0.
I’ll be honest, last week when I heard the Welsh singer Charlotte Church excoriate Ed Sheeran for being a coward and a hypocrite, I had no idea who she was.
Whilst he [Sheeran] has made millions and has an enormous following – he has an enormous platform to do real good in the world – he chose consumerism and capitalism over doing the right thing. So we say the same thing to Ed Sheeran because fuck the fact that musicians shouldn’t be involved in politics. Fuck that shit. Politics is life. Ed Sheeran, we’re watching you.
I do now. I spent a few hours listening to Church’s music and reading about her career. Church is no latecomer to the Palestinian cause. She has been an advocate for Palestinian rights for many years and has spoken out consistently against the Apartheid State well before the Israeli genocide in Gaza. And Church is far from the only one. In fact, hundreds of musicians, bands and record labels have publicly opposed Israel’s genocidal rampages in Gaza, its ethnic cleansing operations in the West Bank and ongoing occupation of Palestinian land. I started compiling a list of musical artists who’ve spoken up for Palestinians, at risk of being blackballed by their own industry. It’s an impressive diversity of artists and musical styles, including hip hop, dub, reggae, R&B, soul, Cajun, Zydeco, blues, folk, Americana, rock, grunge, metal, punk, post-punk, electronica, jazz, fusion, classical, avant-garde, Middle Eastern, klezmer…And the list is surely incomplete. If you know of bands who’ve taken similar stands against genocide and for Palestinians’ rights, let me know. In the meantime, listen to their music, buy their CDs and LPs and spread the word… –JSC
A-C
A Tribe Called Quest
Aaron Rowe
Albert Dalton
Amyl and the Sniffers
Anna Helms
Ana Tijoux
Annie Lennox
Ashnikko
Aurora
Avishai Cohen
BadBadNotGood
Bambara
Bastille
BB No Money
Beabaddppbee
Belly
Ben Howard
Beoga
Bert McCracken
Billie Eilish
Billy Bragg
Billy Woods
Björk
Black Country, New Road
Blonde Redhead
Blondie
Blood Orange
Blowgun
Bob Vylan
Brian Ennals
Brian Eno
Brother Ali
Bruisey Peets
Burnt Sugar
By Storm (fka Injury Reserve)
Cameron Winter
Cardi B.
Caribou
Caroline Chung
Caroline Polachek
Carsie Blanton
Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam)
Cavetown
Chance the Rapper
Chanel Beads
Chappelle Roan
Charlotte Church
Charlotte Day Wilson
Chelsea Wolfe
Clairo
Coldplay
Conjunto Tierra Linda
Corbin
CupcakKe
Bob Vylan. Photo: Stefan Bollmann. Wikimedia.
D-F
Damon Albarn
Dargen D’Amico
Dave Matthews
David C. Simons
David Rovics
Decaturadio
Deerhoof
Denzel Curry
Destroy Boys
Dirty Rotten Vipers
Don’t Make Trouble
DJ Snake
Drugstore Lipstick
Dua Lipa
Dwarfs of Agouza
Earl Sweatshirt
Eartheater
Eddie Mack
Eliza McLamb
ELUCID
Elvis Costello
Elyanna
Enter Shikari
Eric Clapton
Erika de Casier
Escho
Esha Tewari
Ethel Cain
Fontaines DC
Eve 6
FAMM
Fat Tony
Faye Webster
Fever Ray
Finneas O’Connell
Flavien Berger
Frank Ocean
Dave Matthews in Atlanta. (Screen capture from video posted to YouTube.)
G-I
Garbage
Geese
Genesis Owusu
Ghais Guevara
Gia Margaret
GillaWatts
Gitkin
Gorillaz
Grandson
Green Day
Grizzly Bear
Hailey Williams
Halsey
Hania Rani
Hesham Jarmakani
Ho99o9
Hobo Gadget Junk Band
Hot Chip
Hyperdub
Immortal Technique
Hayley Williams of Paramore performing live on the Honda Civic Tour. Photo: Riot!4ever. Wikimedia. CC BY 3.0
J-L
Jae Park
Jane Remover
Janelle Monáe
Japanese Breakfast
Jensen McRae
Jake Gold
Jayden Kitchener-Waters
Jayson Gillham
John Legend
JP Saxe
Julia Jacklin
John Lurrie
Julia Holter
Just Mustard
Kellee Green
Kehlani
Kelela
Kelsey Lu
Kevin Rowland
Kiana Ledé
Kid Cudi
Kiki Rockwell
Kimya Dawson
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
King Krule
Kneecap
Kool A.D.
Kumasi Afrobeat Orchestra
Labia Menorah
L’Rain
Lambrini Girls
Lapis
Laural Halo
Lauren Jauregui
Lauryn Hill
Le Trio Joubran
Leaving Records
Lil Peep
Liv.e
Loathe
Lorde
Los Güiros
Lowkey
LSD Clownsystem
Lucy Dacus
Lukas Graham
Luna Li
Lupe Fiasco
Kehlani at a protest in solidarity with Palestine, October 2023. Photo: Wisenerd. CC BY-SA 4.0
M-O
M.I.A.
Mach-Hommy
Macklemore
Mannequin Pussy
Marc Rebillet
Marina
Maryam Saleh
Massive Attack
Maurice Louca
Maxwell Apra Trio
Mazaj Trio
MC Abdul
Mechatok
Megan Dwyer
Mei Semones
Melanie Martinez
Method Man
MIKE
Minaret Records
Mississippi Records
Mitski
MJ Lenderman
Mndsgn
MØ
Mogwai
Mohammed Najem
Monocle Ensemble
MUNA
Mustafa the Poet
N.A.A.F.I.
Nadah El Shazly
Nala Sinephro
NAO
Narcy
Navy Blue
NEEMZ
Nemahsis
New Orleans Musicians for Palestine
Newsha Khalaj
Nick Hakim
Nick León
Nilüfer Yanya
No Name
Northern Spy Records
Nourished by Time
NTS
Obongjayar
Of Monsters and Men
Of Montreal
Oklou
Omer Avital
Or Baraket
Orbital
Organelle
Robert Del Naja for Massive Attack at an anti-genocide protest in London. (Screen capture from video posted to YouTube.)
P-R
Paloma Faith
PAN
Panic Shack
Paramore
Paris Ave Band
Paul Weller
Pearl Jam
Pepper ’n Michot
Peter Gabriel
Phoebe Bridgers
Pinegrove
Pinkshift
Primal Scream
Rage Against the Machine
Redveil
Reem Kelani
Rejjie Snow
Rina Sawayama
Robin Rapuzzi’s Glo Worm Trio
Robyn
Roger Waters
Rory Danger and the Danger Dangers
Ruptured Records
Ryuichi Sakamoto (estate of)
Roger Waters with Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro. Photo: Republic of Colombia.
S-U
Sandy Chamoun
Sabine McCalla
Sam Dickey and Read the Sands
Sariyah Idan
Sasami
Saul Williams
Show Me the Body
Sigur Rós
Simon Moushabeck
Simsara Records
Sir Chloe
Skee Mask
Skrillex
Slow Pulp
Smerz
Soapbox Choir
Soccer Mommy
Sophie Hunter
Sprints
Strange Boy
Sudan Archives
Swinging Astrid
System of a Down
T Marie and Bayou Juju
Talib Kweli
Tamer Abu Ghazaleh
Teedra Moses
The Blessed Madonna
The Blushes
The Crybabies
The Japanese House
The Knife
The Tangiers Combo
The Weeknd
The Welfare Poets
Thievery Corporation
TOKiMONSTA
Topshelf Records
TraTraTrax
Um, Jennifer?
Unsound Foundation
Sudan Archives. Photo: Elise Malterre. Wikimedia. CC BY 2.0
V-Z
Viagra Boys
Vic Mensa
Victoria Monét
Vijay Iyer
Wadada Leo Smith
Wanees Zaroun and East Loop
Wavering
We Jazz Records
Wednesday
Wegz
Wet Leg
Wits End Brass Band
Wolf Alice
Yard Act
Yasmine Hamdan
Yassin Bey
Yeule
Yeyo
Young Fathers
Zara Larsson
