Viet Cong Have Changed Their Name To Preoccupations

The Canadian post-punk outfit formerly known as Viet Cong have announced that they will be performing and recording under the moniker of Preoccupations in response to persistent controversy over their previous name.

As Pitchfork notes in a new interview with frontman Matt Flegel, the band has, since their first release in 2014, always experienced a degree of ire from people offended over their use of the name, but things really started picking up steam in February last year. Among other setbacks, the band found themselves unable to be booked on an Australian festival due to the name before a gig at Oberlin College, Ohio, in March was cancelled after student protests.

Even at the time, Viet Cong seemed to be increasingly aware of the weight behind their name, saying in a statement in response to the Oberlin cancellation, "Our band, Viet Cong, has existed for a little over three years now. When we named ourselves, we were naive about the history of a war in a country we knew very little about. We now better understand the weight behind the words 'Viet Cong'."

The band ultimately made the announcement of their intent to change their name back in September last year, and after a period of relative radio silence following their final shows as Viet Cong in October (in Australia, no less), that day is here at last. 

In the explanatory post on their new Facebook page, Preoccupations apologised to those their previous name had offended and indicated that they are ready to move on to new and better things.

"After finishing our latest record and taking some time off, we are excited to announce that we will be performing and recording as 'Preoccupations' going forward," the band wrote. "We will be previewing new material from a forthcoming record in a series of festivals and shows in North America and Europe in the coming months.

"We apologize to those who were adversely affected by our former band name. This was never anticipated nor our intent. We are artists and not politicians, we understand that the name reflected pain to some individuals and we are happy to change it and move on and focus on our music.

"Thanks to all our friends and fans. See you all soon."

According to the interview with Pitchfork, the new moniker was the brainchild of the band's friend Chad VanGaalen, who had sent the group a list of potential names for them to peruse.

"It stood out for us, and it made sense," Flegel told the site. "No other bands were called that. It's kind of been an issue finding a new band name — it's hard to find something that hasn't been taken.

"We didn't want to be too rash in the decision-making this time around, because we were to begin with," he continued. "The backlash was totally fair, in all respects. We always had the intention of changing the name.

"I really couldn't care less what the name of our band is, and especially don't care about the band name Viet Cong to fight for it. I can speak for all of our band members saying that. It's secondary to the music."

Read Pitchfork's full interview here.