Early yesterday morning, a majority of the United Kingdom’s citizens shockingly voted for the country to leave the European Union. Among the pound dropping in value, David Cameron resigning from his position as prime minister and investors scrambling to forecast the country’s economic future, many British artists have taken to social media to express fear, sadness and anger over what onlookers have dubbed “Brexit.”
Disclosure, Bicep, Hudson Mohawke and even the Glastonbury music festival, which is taking place this weekend, have gone on record to criticize Brexit. Read their various responses to the vote and after the results of the vote below:
What the FUCK!!! 😔😔 Still not sinking in
— Disclosure (@disclosure) June 24, 2016
Moving to Mars with Bowie
— Disclosure (@disclosure) June 24, 2016
fucked
— Here's Troxy (@sethtroxler) June 24, 2016
total fuck up…
— Rob da Bank (@RobdaBank) June 24, 2016
#MusicSoundsBetterWithEU pic.twitter.com/COWEwhpohC
— Fatboy Slim (@FatboySlim) June 21, 2016
— Glastonbury Festival (@GlastoFest) June 24, 2016
Predicting a lot of ppl moving to or back to Scotland….looks like England and U.S. have really fucked themselves
— Hudson Mohawke (@HudMo) June 24, 2016
Hey UK, I'm voting Remain. Hope you do too. pic.twitter.com/7Ol6zsSiNh
— Caribou (@caribouband) June 23, 2016
I'm going to vote to stay in EU. Please do same. Will really harsh our mellow if this messes up. pic.twitter.com/zdhCPIXNiM
— Four Tet (@FourTet) June 22, 2016
The other day I held the door open for a clown. I thought it was a nice jester. #EURefResults
— Oliver Jones (@I_Skream) June 24, 2016
https://twitter.com/chaseandstatus/status/746250113681604608
https://twitter.com/vynehall/status/746412086658482176
What's the opposite of patriotic? Fucking ashamed…
— Daniel Avery (@danielmarkavery) June 24, 2016
https://twitter.com/jonogrant/status/746229910960693248
Just got off a 12 hour flight and seeing Brexit news what the fuuuuuck. Racist times. 😔
— Medieval Knievel (@atrak) June 24, 2016
Thoughts and prayers for Britain and Europe #Brexit
— 🌴🦎Oliver Heldens 🐨🕺🏻 (@OliverHeldens) June 24, 2016
If the UK leaves the EU and America elects Donald Trump in the same fucking year this may just well be the end of the universe as we know it
— JAUZ (@Jauzofficial) June 24, 2016
*applies for Irish passport for son*
— Annie Mac (@anniemacmanus) June 24, 2016
starting to get less comfortable in this world we live in
— kaytra-NADA (@KAYTRANADA) June 24, 2016
In terms of Brexit’s effects upon musicians, 6AM Group wrote a very in-depth editorial on how the ruling may affect British artists who want to tour other countries, but also the many artists who play shows in the U.K. British-based artists may have to pay a lot of money in order to acquire the necessary documents and approvals in order to tour outside of the country, while artists entering the country may also end up paying hundreds, if not thousands, in order to satisfy the eventual laws that go into place.
6AM Group also noted that Rob Challice, who is the director of the Coda Agency Ltd. booking agency, went on record to suspect that Brexit would “set back the U.K. by a number of years,” negatively affecting British artists creatively, artistically and financially. On top of that, the British Phonographic Industry conducted a survey among British record labels that found 68 percent of those labels wanted the U.K. to remain in the EU, with 59 percent believing Brexit would negatively impact the promotion of British music and its artists. It remains to be seen how this ruling will affect the music world, but all eyes are nervously watching it unfold.
