Marduk’s scheduled sold-out show for this past May 2nd at the Life House club in Rzeszow, POL was cancelled. This time around, it had nothing to do with Antifa threats nor their recent Nazi propaganda accusations, and had everything to do with the Polish Christian political group known as The conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party.
The PiS party demanded that the show must be cancelled due to the Swedish metal outfit “promoting satanic content.” However, the club didn’t budge from their commands. According to a local report and Marduk’s booking agency, Massive Music, an unknown person coincidentally broke into the venue and stole a water meter and pipe the night before the gig.
Despite the extended efforts the venue made including ordering portable toilets, washbasins, and a fire fighting water tank, local authorities refused to grant the venue from hosting the event.
Massive Music shared the following statement (translated by Google)
“An unprecedented thing happened. From the beginning of the announcement of the Marduk concert in Rzeszów, there were pressures on us and the club to cancel this concert. The situation has definitely intensified yesterday and today. The club, only today, had control of the Police, Fire Brigade and Sanepid. Yesterday, the “unknown” perpetrator broke into the club, cut out a part of the pipe with a water meter, cutting off the club from running water. On this basis, Sanepid suspended the activity of the Life House club (until the club’s current water was restored). Case? The club did everything to make the concert take place (ordered portable toilets, washbasins, a fire-fighting tank, and even just in case a generator). Unfortunately, the power of political pressure and offices turned out to be too big. We regret to cancel today’s concert despite the fact that the bands are in Rzeszów and the stage is ready. Never in our history has there been such an intensity of pressure, letters from attorneys and control. We were also unable to move the concert to another place, because the controls appeared only today, on the day of the concert, and other clubs in the city did not talk to us or were afraid of risk.
Purchased collector tickets can be returned at points of sale. Tickets from the Eventim network can be returned after a long weekend as soon as the return instruction is accepted.”
Sadly, it looks as though this is starting to form a trend as French protesters are trying to shut down Hellfest. However, there are people like Behemoth’s Nergal who noticed Marduk’s cancellation and openly defended what happened.
He shared the following statement:
“Unfortunatelly they succeded. Marduk concert in Rzeszów got cancelled.
How far you will go to protect your one and only truth? How long you will keep on violating our freedom? What it will take for you to realize that NONE of your fascist ways will break our spirit?
Do I sound pathetic? Exagerated? Reactive?Try to live free life in the country full of blind sheep led by conservative, stubborn, shameful lowlives.”
Meanwhile, as far as Marduk is concerned, they recently united with Taake who also faces a similar controversy as they recently performed together in Stockholm Sweden:
“On April 29, despite the outraged bleating from the enemies of black metal, Marduk and Taake performed in a sold-out Stockholm venue. Both bands wish to thank the Stockholm Slaughter promoter, Vlad of Death Disco Productions, for going above and beyond in the face of overwhelming adversity. But above all, our heartfelt gratitude to you – the fans – whose unwavering support ultimately made this a highly worthwhile experience, not to mention at all possible.
Let this little escapade serve as a reminder of how outside interference in black metal matters should be approached: unity in defiance, with neither apology nor compromise.”
[via ThePrp]
