Last Dinner Party Boycotts Victorious Festival After Mary Wallopers’ ‘Free Palestine’ Set Was Cut Short

The Last Dinner Party pulled out of their slated Victorious Festival performance on Saturday, August 23, in solidarity with the Mary Wallopers, whose set was halted after they displayed a Palestinian flag and voiced “Free Palestine.”

The British indie rock-pop ensemble announced their decision on social media Saturday morning, referencing the prior day’s incident when the Mary Wallopers unfurled a Palestinian banner onstage and called for a “Free Palestine.”

“We are appalled by yesterday’s attempt to mute the Mary Wallopers at Victorious,” The Last Dinner Party wrote on Instagram. “As a band, we refuse to endorse political censorship and will be boycotting today’s festival.”

“As Gazans face a devastating famine after two years of escalating violence, it is imperative for artists to leverage their platform for awareness,” they continued. “To divert attention from this humanitarian crisis in pursuit of an apolitical façade is profoundly disheartening.”

The band also urged followers to contribute to medical relief efforts in Palestine, concluding their message with “Free Palestine.”

On Friday, August 22, the Mary Wallopers took the Victorious stage carrying a Palestinian flag and shouted, “Free Palestine and f—k Israel.” Their audio feed was abruptly cut after a crew member removed the flag, prompting the group to lead a “Free Palestine” chant and entice the audience to exit.

The episode was captured in a video shared on the Mary Wallopers’ Instagram account.

“We’re posting this so everyone can see Victorious Festival cut our set short solely for displaying a Palestinian flag,” the Irish band wrote. “Their official statement claimed a discriminatory chant prompted the cutoff, but our footage shows a crew member removing the flag before muting our sound, then stating, ‘you aren’t playing until the flag is removed.’”

On Saturday, Victorious Festival organizers addressed the controversy in a Facebook post.

“We strive to deliver outstanding performances, not interruptions,” their statement read. “We mishandled our policy explanation and should have addressed it sooner to avoid this outcome. We apologize to the band, their fans and our team.”

The organizers affirmed, “We fully support artists’ right to express their views lawfully and within our inclusive ethos. Our longstanding flag policy, intended for operational safety, is not meant to stifle speech.”

They concluded, “We acknowledge that sound to the Mary Wallopers’ audience was indeed cut and subsequent remarks went unheard. We regret this situation and will make a significant donation to humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people.”

Other acts, including The Academic and Cliffords, have also declared boycotts of this year’s Victorious Festival.

The 2025 edition of Victorious launched on Friday and continues through Sunday, August 24, featuring headliners like Queens of the Stone Age, Vampire Weekend and Kings of Leon.

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