Norwegian black metal band Taake have had an Australian tour cancelled on short notice after a spotlight was shone on their frontman's alleged far-right views.
The Guardian reports that promoters pulled the plug on Taake's Australian dates scheduled for February after students complained about frontman Hoest and his controversial views.
Hoest has been accused of holding far-right and anti-Islamist views. So far, the band have not commented on the cancellation of the shows in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne. They were due to be supported by Akhlys.
Promoters Southern Extremities Productions said in a Facebook post: "The upcoming Taake/Akhlys tour has been cancelled for reasons beyond our control. Apologies to ticket holders/people keen to see these two acts. You'll receive an update and full refund from your ticketing company."
The Sydney venue was the first to cancel the planned performance after pushback from students last month. The Adelaide venue then also announced they wouldn't host the bands.
In 2018, Taake cancelled a US tour after an online movement highlighted troubling incidents, including a 2007 show in Germany during which Hoest performed with a swastika painted on his chest.
He didn't help his cause when, in a statement, Hoest called the owner of the German venue an "Untermench," which translates as "subhuman" — a term used by Nazis to refer to Jews and others they considered non-Aryan.
After the US tour was cancelled, a Taake statement read: “We have explained on many, many occasions, the history behind what caused the problems … but just for the sake of clarity Taake is not now, has never been, and never will be a Nazi band.”
