Promoter Cancels Aus Tour Of Band Accused Of Far-right Sympathies

Norwegian heavy outfit Taake will no longer make the trip to Australia next month, with the promoter cancelling their run of dates.

The metal band, accused of far-right and anti-Islamic sympathies, were slated to perform in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne in early February as part of the Southern Funeral Tour with US outfit Akhlys, who allegedly have similar far-right associations.

Promoters Southern Extremeties announced today the run “has been cancelled for reasons beyond our control”.

“Apologies to ticket holders/people keen to see these 2 acts, you'll receive an update and full refund from your ticketing company,” they added.

As The Guardian notes, two venues pulled out of the tour before it was officially cancelled; University Of Sydney’s Manning Bar, which reportedly made the decision following pressure from students, and Adelaide’s Enigma Bar.

Back in 2018, Taake cancelled a US tour due to anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim accusations against them, relating to a 2007 incident in which vocalist Hoest had a swastika painted on his chest during a performance in Germany.

A year after the controversial show, Hoest told Terrorizer, “We are definitely not Nazis. We only used that symbol as another symbol for evil. The usual symbols, the pentagram and inverted cross, don’t invoke reactions anymore.”

In that same article, the singer referred to the venue owner as 'Untermensch', which translates to ‘subhuman’ and is a term used by Nazis.

Taake are yet to respond to the cancellation of their Australian tour, but issued a lengthy statement when their US run was axed in which they stated once more, “Taake is not now, has never been, and never will be a Nazi band.”

The Guardian has pointed out several other incidents in recent years, including Hoest appearing on a song named Jew Killer on Meads Of Asphodel’s album The Murder Of Jesus The Jew, which was released in 2010.

Taake’s Orkan, which features on the band’s Norwegian Grammy-nominated 2012 album Noregs Vaapen, features the lyrics “To hell with Muhammad and Muhammadans".

And in 2013, Hoest reportedly wore an Iron Cross above a T-shirt displaying anti-Islamic imagery during a performance in Scotland.