Metal Gig Axed For Anti-Religious Stance

A Brisbane metal band have been forced to move their Melbourne show after a promoter objected to their anti-religious imagery.

Industrial outfit Darkc3ll had been announced to play Melbourne's Rock Dungeon in the CBD Club, but yesterday announced on Facebook that they were looking for a new venue after the promoter allegedly “was offended by our album cover,” which features an upside-down cross.

Today the night's booker Bryn Peter Collins confirmed the mid-November show had been cancelled and told theMusic.com.au that he had first booked the band as a favour to an old friend, before he was entirely familiar with them. After objecting to the band, he contacted them “in a private email” to advise that they wouldn't be able to move forward with the show for his own “personal and private” spiritual reasons.

He said that the band then took his private email and used it as a “publicity stunt” and started what he described as a “witch hunt” online.

The band's manager Robyn Morrison today denied to theMusic that the band had played a publicity stunt, and that in email negotiations he stated bluntly that his Christian faith was the reason for his concerns over the band and their album cover. He had offered to honour the booking if he could be assured that the band wouldn't say anything overtly “blasphemous” about his faith on stage.

Morrison replied that such restrictions “would hinder the band's ability to play a show that their fans had expected.”

Collins said, “The band have gone out to offend and now that they've offended someone they're complaining about it,” he said today, also describing the band as the “wrong fit” for the venue.

“We're a classic metal and rock club and they've a more industrial goth feel. It's not really suited for our night is the main point.”

The booker told theMusic he had offered to find the band another venue, but will not anymore as he claims the band have used the incident for their own “sensationalism.”

Morrison denies this, saying that he was concerned that a potential gig by the band would complete with his night.

Collins added that he was usually better at vetting the material and artists who appear at the club according to his priciples.

“I have to take a level of responsibility… I don't book the more extreme metal because of the crowd they bring. They disrespect the venue.”

In Darkc3ll's Six Hundred & Six Six song the band sing, “It's a middle finger kind of day/Hey Satan what the fuck do you say… Holy daggers in these eyes/I've got evil on my mind.”

Story updated 4.50pm