Rock band White Lies forced to cancel Paris show ‘due to Brexit-related delays’

London-formed trio are the latest act to be hurt by Brexit red tape

A British band have revealed that they were forced to cancel their live show in Paris at the last minute after their equipment was held up by Brexit red tape.

White Lies, who released their latest album As I Try Not to Fall Apart in February, posted a statement to Twitter on Thursday 7 April, explaining their predicament.

“To our dear fans here in Paris,” the London-formed post-punk group began, “We and our crew have arrived safely this morning to start our European tour. But our equipment has been detained by Brexit legislation leaving England, along with countless other trucks.

“We are aware this happened to [another] British band last week. We’re devastated to say that without our equipment we do not have a show, and tonight has to be cancelled and rescheduled. It’s heartbreaking to be here in this wonderful city, and unable to perform due to such a trivial issue.”

The trio said they would announce a rescheduled Paris show at a later time.

“We are working to realise the potential benefits of post-EU freedoms, especially around cabotage,” a government spokesperson told The Independent.

MPs were warned that musicians would have to abandon tours over Brexit red tape as far back as December 2020, along with issues caused by the lack of visa arrangements for artists touring the EU.

A band with six members, already struggling to avoid losing money on tour, face extra visa costs of £1,800 while visiting three countries, one leading music manager told The Independent.

In February last year, classical musicians told Classic.FM how they had been forced to turn down job offers and been replaced in orchestras, due to astronomical extra costs and excessive paperwork.

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden has blamed artist visa issues on the EU, which has previously said that the UK turned down its standard offer of a visa waiver.

Last week, DCMS chair Julian Knight MP condemned the chaos that is currently devastating the UK arts, after it emerged that a Chinese production of Phantom of the Opera had been chosen to tour the EU, over the West End version.

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“That one of the all-time great British musical impresarios would not now dream of taking a production rich in West End heritage into the EU from Britain speaks volumes about the impact of the Government’s approach to supporting touring creatives,” he said.

“If it wasn’t obvious before, the revelation that it is both cheaper and easier for a Chinese production of the Phantom of the Opera to be staged in the EU than it is for a British one, means that the mask has well and truly slipped on the true extent of the problems faced by the UK arts sector.

“The current EU visa arrangements are proving economically disastrous for our cultural industries by forcing them to play second fiddle to their international competitors, while having a hugely detrimental effect on the ability of the UK to exercise soft power by promoting Britain abroad post-Brexit.”