Danish band Lukas Graham has withdrawn from Ed Sheeran’s tour after rapper Macklemore was removed as a support act following his public support for Palestine.
The Danish group pulled out of the tour after Macklemore was dropped from the same lineup. The American rapper had voiced support for Palestine, according to reporting by DR published on September 16.
Sheeran has stated that dropping Macklemore was not his decision, DR reports in a separate article. He generally does not wish to involve himself in political questions.
Music journalist Nanna Frank told DR that the world looks different today than it did 10 to 20 years ago. In her assessment, it is no longer possible to be an apolitical musician in the same way. She added that Sheeran has chosen to remain apolitical, but that making a choice is always political.
Similar cases in recent years
DR points to the Belfast rap trio Kneecap, which had a larger tour in the United States canceled. One of the group’s members, Mo Chara, was charged with supporting terrorism after allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in England in 2024. Flying Hamas and Hezbollah flags is illegal in the United Kingdom, where both are listed as proscribed terrorist organizations.
Mo Chara has consistently rejected the accusations and says he supports neither Hamas nor Hezbollah. The charge against him was later dropped. Kneecap played Roskilde Festival this year and returns to Denmark on November 12 for their largest Danish indoor concert at K.B. Hallen.
The Irish rock band Fontaines D.C. canceled its own planned concert at Zorlu PSM in Istanbul in solidarity with Palestine, per DR. The venue’s sponsor, Zorlu Holding, has held money in an Israeli power plant. The band has shown support for Palestine at several concerts, including on Roskilde Festival’s Orange Scene in 2025, where activists joined them on stage. Fontaines D.C. plays Royal Arena in Copenhagen on November 8.
DR also cites the English band Radiohead, which refused to cancel its 2017 concert in Tel Aviv despite protests from pro-Palestinian activists and fans. A number of artists signed an open letter urging the band to call off the show, as covered at the time by Politiken. Guitarist Jonny Greenwood is married to an Israeli and has collaborated with Israeli musicians.
In an interview with The Times ahead of the band’s comeback concerts, the members described greater internal disagreement on the question today. Singer Thom Yorke said he did not want to be within 8,000 kilometers of the Netanyahu government, but noted that Greenwood has roots there. Radiohead last performed in Israel in 2017 and has not appeared there since.
