Bambie Thug, who represented Ireland at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, dedicated a performance of The Cranberries’ “Zombie” at Download Festival to the people of Palestine. The artist played the Apex Stage at the Donington festival and highlighted the cause that is close to their heart. After singing the track “Trash” from inside a wheelie bin, they raised their voice against the governments that allow genocides to happen and said, “Our voices are more important than ever.” Following this, they played a cover of “Zombie,” a song about the innocent victims of political violence, and ended the performance with a cry of “Free Palestine.”
Bambie Thug had earlier shared a recorded version of the cover earlier this year. The musician spoke to NME in May about playing the main stage of Download Festival this weekend, calling it “mental.” Bambie Thug 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 organizers of “not supporting them” over claims that the Israeli broadcasters “incited violence” against them.
Bambie Thug had been forced to remove the words “ceasefire” and “freedom for Palestine” 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. The artist had 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.
Bambie Thug’s Download festival performance showed solidarity towards the Palestinian cause, which the artist had shown a keen interest in earlier. The musician did not shy away from taking a political stance, and their message was clear – the role of artists is not only to create beautiful music. They concluded their performance with a cry of “Free Palestine,” urging people to raise their voices to support those who are in need
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