Speaking to NME backstage at Brian Eno's Together For Palestine concert at Wembley Arena, Bambie Thug spoke up for Kneecap fighting a "fascist government", the need to boycott Eurovision, and solidarity for Gaza with "the community ever-growing and we need your voices"
00:00Good evening Bambi Thug. Hello, how are you, enemy? I'm not bad, thanks. How are you? Good, thank you. I mean, what a night, eh? Beautiful. Heavy, but also beautiful. What's the vibe like backstage?
00:11Same as it is out front, like, there's a melancholyness, but there's also a very powerful feeling of being held, and it's a beautiful thing to be in the same room with people with the same moral standpoint, and, I guess, consciousness that's intact.
00:35That's a big question, but what made you feel like you just had to be a part of tonight?
00:38I don't even think there's an answer, just, I wouldn't be anywhere else.
00:47And what do you think a night like tonight says about the power of art and of music to fight for a cause like this?
00:53I think it speaks volumes for the power of art and the power of music, and the power that it has to bring community together, and it can definitely shift and change people's standpoints,
01:07and, you know, when our governments aren't stepping up, I think it's really, it is the job of the artist to say what the people want to be saying themselves, and want to hear.
01:24And just tonight existing is, like, enough of a victory for freedom of expression in a way, isn't it?
01:28Yeah, it's amazing.
01:29Yeah, it's amazing.
01:30I think we need more of these, and across the world.
01:35And, I'm sure you've been following the kneecap, if they do find Makara guilty in the coming weeks, what do you think that will say about the world that we're living in and about this government?
01:49I think it says that this government's corrupt, which we already know.
01:54I think it shows that they're terrified of the voices of people.
02:06And similarly, a lot of countries have been joining the cult to boycott Eurovision if Israel are allowed to participate.
02:13I mean, you've been there, do you actually see Eurovision reacting to that in a responsible way? What do you think is going to happen?
02:32Well, there's only a few more that would need to join for it to mess up the competition. I hope more people will, more countries will. I'm just proud of my country and Spain.
02:47I hope the UK has a bit of a backbone. And also, I think, this year, who would want to go? You know?
03:02I don't know, it's a big statement. I hope that more join because it would be an awful thing for it to still go ahead and be able to be used as propaganda
03:14because the other voices who would oppose it wouldn't be in it. So, I hope more join. And it just, it's canceled.
03:22And with regards to tonight, what would you say to music fans who might be live streaming this at home, feeling a bit hopeless given all the kind of constant doom they're surrounded by?
03:30What would you say to them?
03:31Don't feel hopeless. The community is ever growing and ever building and we need your voices.
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