Back in February, Yelle announced a tour to celebrate their 20th anniversary. The French electropop band has now canceled the North American leg of the tour, citing the “current political climate in the US, especially in regard to immigration and freedom of speech.” The group also said that “the overall costs of this tour are becoming barely possible to balance and it is putting a great financial burden on us.” See Yelle’s statement and updated tour itinerary below.
Yelle join a growing list of international acts who have had a more difficult time performing in the United States since President Donald J. Trump returned to office in January. Members of the British punk band U.K. Subs, for example, said they were denied entry to the United States, apparently due to incorrect visas and also undisclosed reasons. The band’s bassist, Alvin Gibbs, speculated that his “regular and less than flattering public pronouncements regarding [Trump] and his administration were a factor” in his denial into the country.
Additionally, Bells Larsen, a trans singer-songwriter based in Montreal, said he was canceling a tour because he could not apply for a visa due to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ new policies that do not recognize transgender identities. FKA twigs also had visa issues (that she has since resolved), and Grzegorz Kwiatkowski of the Polish rock band Trupa Trupa told NPR in the spring that he and his band had to miss out on performance opportunities due to visa delays. The Trump administration has also revoked visas from members of the Mexican bands Grupo Firme and Los Alegres del Barranco and the British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan.
Last week, the Canadian musician Matthew Good announced that he’s canceling U.S. shows due to the Trump administration’s policies. “I’ve come to the personal decision, that I can’t, in good conscience carry out my dates this summer in your country,” he shared. “Myself, and my band will lose a week’s worth of work, and that really hurts, but giving up 30% of our earnings to a withholding tax, walking on eggshells at the border, and actively participating in the silencing of opinions, is a bigger cost to me personally.”
Yelle:
10-03 Washington, D.C. – The Howard Theatre10-04 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel10-06 Montreal, Quebec – Club Soda10-08 Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall10-10 San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom10-11 Los Angeles, CA – The Bellwether
10-13 Lille, France – L’Aéronef
11-14 Rennes, France – Antipode
11-15 Nantes, France – Stereolux
11-18 London, England – Islington Assembly Hall
11-19 Brussells, Belgium – Ancienne Belgique
11-21 Lyon, France – Transbordeur
11-25 Paris, France – L’Olympia
11-28 Paris, France – Le Centquatre
