Jewish band’s UK show cancelled by pro-Palestine activists

A gig featuring British Jewish band Oi Va Voi has been abruptly cancelled by its Bristol venue following pressure from pro-Palestine activist groups.

The award-winning band, renowned for their mix of klezmer with dance grooves and western melodic sensibility, are currently on a tour promoting their new album and have just returned from sell-out shows at venues in Amsterdam, Budapest and Brussels.

However, the UK venue, Strange Brew, has quietly cancelled their show without releasing an official statement. A statement from the theatre to the band, seen by the JC, said: “On Monday afternoon we were alerted to a piece of album artwork by one of the performers in Oi Va Voi which we believe to be politically offensive in light of the ongoing situation in Gaza.

"The image therefore contravenes our venue’s ethical stance on the ongoing situation. As such we have decided to cancel the show.”

But the band claim that activist groups contacted the venue “making untrue or misguided claims” about them and their music.

The show was cancelled following a list of evidence submitted by a member of the local advocacy group Bristol Palestine Alliance, including that Oi Va Voi had “previously broken the artist boycott” by performing in Israel.

They accused Oi Va Voi’s guest singer, Zohara, of “featuring dog whistle Zionist imagery” on the artwork for her solo album Welcoming the Golden Age, which depicts the singer appearing naked as she stands with a wheelbarrow containing watermelons and surrounded by the fruit.

An email to the venue from Bristol Palestine Action, seen by the JC, suggests that, in the image, Zohara “[appears] to clear a field with watermelons all over the ground”. The watermelon has become a popular pro-Palestine symbol in recent years.

However, Zohara, who is from Tel Aviv, is described by the band as “a left-wing political activist with a Palestinian boyfriend”.

“You could barely make out they were watermelons,” said Oi Va Voi’s drummer Josh Breslaw. In a meeting called by the venue, the band were asked to explain the symbolism of the imagery.

Breslaw asked Zohara, who said it was simply representing “femininity and nature”. However, they were then told, “you might say that's what it's about, but people don't believe that's what it's about.” They said on that basis the show would have to be cancelled.

“We've been playing as a band for over 20 years and we can't get our heads around the fact that for the first time, we're not allowed to take the stage,” said Breslaw. “We are a British band being cancelled in Britain, a British band that happens to be prominently Jewish, and our musical DNA is Jewish. It's shocking."

“Oi Va Voi has only ever sung about humanity and compassion, and has played across borders. The idea that that people can pass judgment on us, and can close us down and see that we can't take to the stage, even though our fans have bought tickets to see us, is not acceptable,” he added

In a statement posted on their social media, Oi Va Voi said: “After over 20 years of playing in many countries to audiences of many backgrounds, cultures and religions, we find ourselves facing the cancellation of one of our gigs in our home country.

“Anyone who knows Oi Va Voi knows that we sing songs which are socially conscious, humanitarian, and speak to audiences across divides. We are a non-political band who plays to bring people together, not to polarise them. And we are proud of it.
“But the groups applying pressure have clearly not listened to our output, or seen us perform. They are taking one fact, the ethnicity of some of our members, and using it as evidence for damning accusations about our beliefs and our right to perform in our home country.”

They added: “There really are no winners in this decision. The bands lose, the audience loses, the divisions in society are widened, and the issues facing the world are not improved at all.”

Steve Levi-Kallin, clarinettist and vocalist in Oi Va Voi (Photo: Bram Versteeg)[Missing Credit]

Formed in 2000 by six young Londoners with diverse musical roots, Oi Va Voi brought a fusion of klezmer, soul, jazz and club beats to the masses in 2003 with their debut album Laughter Through Tears.

The band have worked with the Arab Orchestra of Nazareth and have given music workshops to young people at the Arab Jewish Community Centre in Jaffa, Tel Aviv – projects they say have been focused on bringing people together. They recently performed sell-out shows across Turkey – a country renowned for its political hostility towards Israel.

“The audience loved our music,” said Breslaw. “No one asked about our connection to Israel and what we believe, what we think of the government or the war. They listened to the music.”

He went on: “Would an Australian singer coming over as a guest for Oi Va Voi have to justify their position on Aboriginal rights?

“In some cases, there are governments doing terrible things, and you cannot question people that come from all those countries. But when it comes to Israel, all the justification is required.

It comes after a show featuring Israeli musician Dudu Tassa and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood was cancelled at another Bristol venue, the Bristol Beacon, following threats from pro-Palestine activists.

Referring to the cancellation of those shows in their statement, Oi Va Voi called for new legislation to protect artists from being censored by political groups.

“We hope that the urgency of this will be recognised by the gatekeepers of the UK arts scene, and we call on the government to pay closer attention to the increase of ethnically-based censorship of the arts in the UK,” they said. “Drafting new legislation would help to protect venues from intimidation from pressure groups, so we can all continue to live in a free and pluralistic society.”

Earlier this month, the band released Water’s Edge – their first album since 2018’s Memory Drop. It features the upcoming single Dance Again, a song inspired by the Hamas attack of October 7 from the perspective of British Jews.