It’s the controversy that’s engulfed Laneway Festival’s 2018 run, and looks to continue on after what went down in Sydney.
Kirin J Callinan was silently removed from the Laneway Festival lineup a fortnight ago, and while the festival offered no explanation for their actions, it was soon revealed that he was dropped after fellow artist Miss Blanks raised concerns about his appearance at the ARIA Awards, where he flashed his genitals at photographers.
“I believe in the importance of a process of accountability which is why I applaud the organisers of Laneway’s decision to remove Kirin J Callinan from the festival lineup,” Blanks wrote on Insatgram. “His long and recent history of reckless and insensitive actions reinforces an entitlement which permits Kirin and others like him to dismiss valid issues, and normalises racism, ableism and sexual assault.”
While Laneway’s decision has divided punters and commentators, it looks like the removal has done little to stop him from stepping onstage, as reported by Music Feeds. While Callinan didn’t have an allocated time slot to perform, he was seen taking photos with punters at the Sydney event, while also stepping onstage during Mac DeMarco’s performance, which he captured on his Instagram story:
Callinan will also perform at DeMarco’s headline shows in Sydney and Melbourne, while he’s also just been added to Tasmania’s Party In The Paddock festival. Will this further ignite the controversy as Laneway kicks on to Brisbane and Fremantle this weekend? With no word from event organisers just yet, we’ll have to wait and see.
