Watain Concert Cancelled: Metal Censorship

Metal. There are people who like it and people who don’t. Just the same as with everything else in life. Yesterday, however, a simple case of dislike by a small group of people spoiled the fun and freedom of others as a concert by Swedish black metal band Watain was cancelled.

The incident occured after a petition was signed by no less than 16.000 people. Their reason? Watain is too disturbing and offensive to perform. The band would inspire aggression and extreme behaviour. Not a great example for the youth, according to the initiator of the protest.

Of course, when a concert really threatens peace or people’s safety, cancellation can be very wise. The Council therefore does not condemn any ban on a concert. However, my fear is that the civilians speaking out against Watain did not do so for real safety issues, but because of their narrow views on metal music. Their dislike may have resulted in a biased and very subjective reasoning, which has left a lot of local metal fans disappointed.

We cannot really debate taste in music. The protesters had the right to dislike Watain. However; Watain fans have that same right to like the music. The protesters thought the music was inappropriate; but that does not make it so. While one of the reasons for the concert ban mentioned was; ‘this is unsuitable for our children’, the Watain fans may disagree. They probably do find their music save to listen to, including their children. Who are a bunch of Christian protesters to tell others that their music is inappropriate and should therefore be banned?

A final point I would like to make here: Watain already agreed to censor their performance, making the last-minute ban all the more pointless and hateful. Authorities had agreed that the concert should be held, as long as Watain left out religious references. Although I am not a fan of censorship, it was a mutual agreement and everyone was happy. Until a group of citizens decided spoil the fun anyway.

So, to wrap up: the Watain concert should never have been cancelled. It is ridiculous that a group of overly sensitive people should decide what concerts others can go to. Let us hope that the music industry in Singapore will be more tolerant in the future.

Stay heavy!

> Follow Loesy Valentina on Instagram