Just hours before they were set to take the stage in Bristol on May 21, 2025, the members of Oi Va Voi—a London-based modern folk klezmer band—received a message that would reverberate far beyond the city’s music scene. Their performance at Strange Brew, a popular 330-capacity venue, was abruptly cancelled. The reason? Complaints from activist groups, particularly about the solo album artwork of their guest performer, Zohara, an Israeli artist. What followed was a storm of controversy, soul-searching, and ultimately, a public reckoning over the boundaries of inclusion, free expression, and antisemitism in British arts.
According to BBC, Strange Brew has now admitted the decision was a “mistake.” In a statement released November 19, 2025, the venue reflected, “We recognise that Oi Va Voi was likely only subjected to this level of scrutiny, and Zohara’s album artwork interpreted negatively, because they are a Jewish band performing with an Israeli singer.” The apology came after months of mounting criticism and a period of self-examination for the venue, which has since introduced compulsory antisemitism training for its senior management and donated to the Community Security Trust, a charity dedicated to protecting British Jews from antisemitism.
The band’s own statement pulled no punches. “The intimidation of the activist groups who wanted Strange Brew to cancel our gig would never be tolerated against any other minority, either in the music industry or elsewhere,” Oi Va Voi declared, as reported by Bristol247. The group described the ordeal as having “an immense personal and emotional impact on us. It has also led to financial loss, reputational damage and a barrage of hate, the like of which we had never experienced before.”
The roots of the controversy were tangled in wider political symbolism. At issue was the cover of Zohara’s 2024 solo album, Welcoming the Golden Age, which depicted her nude in a field surrounded by watermelons. Watermelons have become a symbol associated with the pro-Palestine movement, used as a stand-in for the Palestinian flag when its display is restricted. Strange Brew initially cited this imagery as “politically loaded symbolism related to the people of Palestine.” However, Oi Va Voi characterized claims about the album artwork as “untrue and misguided,” arguing that the scrutiny was not about politics, but prejudice.
“The only reason we received a level of scrutiny that would lead to such false accusations is because of our heritage and the nationality of one of our performers,” the band said. They emphasized their identity as “British Jews and non-Jews making socially-conscious, humanitarian music that aims to bring people together,” performing internationally—including in Christian, Jewish, and Muslim-majority countries—without incident until now.
For Oi Va Voi, the silence from much of the music industry was deafening. “What has been particularly disappointing is the lack of solidarity from fellow artists and the wider music industry,” the band lamented. “In the wake of what was seen by many as antisemitic rhetoric from certain acts, many artists were quick to sign letters highlighting the importance of free expression. Yet the silence around cancellations of Oi Va Voi and other Jewish performers—British and Israeli—has been deafening. The readiness of venues, promoters and festivals to cave in to demands that exclude Jewish artists, and the lack of attention from the music press when this does happen, has contributed to an environment which has allowed anti-Jewish racism in Britain to persist largely unchallenged.”
The band’s experience is not isolated. Their statement pointed to a broader pattern: “Anti-Jewish racism is racism, and racism is injustice, wherever it comes from.” Oi Va Voi’s blend of klezmer—a genre rooted in the musical traditions of Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe—with modern folk and world music has, since the early 2000s, been praised for putting Jewish music “on the international map.” Their mission, they say, is to unite, not divide.
Strange Brew’s apology was unequivocal. “Oi Va Voi are musicians, not activists. They have no political affiliations and, as far as we are aware, have never made any political statements, be it in their music or otherwise,” the venue clarified. “We are an inclusive venue, and it was not in line with our values to exclude Oi Va Voi and Zohara from performing on the basis of conjecture by another group about their views.” The venue went further, invoking the Equality Act: “Performers cannot be excluded from our venue based on their nationality or ethnicity, or their philosophical or religious opinions and beliefs which are worthy of respect in a democratic society, even if some people are opposed to those views.”
Robert Lewis, a partner at the law firm Mishcon de Reya, underscored the legal and ethical stakes: “Oi Va Voi are musicians, not activists, who believe they were targeted because they are a Jewish band performing with an Israeli singer. The Equality Act is clear: you cannot exclude performers because of a protected characteristic, such as nationality, ethnicity, or beliefs worthy of respect in a democratic society.”
Strange Brew also issued a broader call to the live music sector. “Regardless of the tragic events that have unfolded in the Middle East, we should not hold Jewish artists, wherever they may be from, to a higher standard by demanding they account for the actions of others or let the current conflict effectively exclude Jewish acts from our venues,” the venue’s statement read. “Jewish people have greatly enriched the UK’s music and arts scenes, helping shape its sounds and stories. Losing this vital source of creativity would be a real loss for the country.”
Since the incident, Strange Brew has implemented compulsory antisemitism training for all senior management via the Antisemitism Policy Trust and made a donation to the Community Security Trust. The venue and Oi Va Voi have resolved the situation amicably, but the episode leaves lingering questions about the state of free expression, inclusion, and the risks of caving to external pressures in the arts.
Oi Va Voi, for their part, hope to return to Bristol soon. “We welcome Strange Brew’s statement along with its commitment to undertake antisemitism training and a donation to the Community Security Trust,” the band said. “We hope to be able to perform in Bristol soon.”
The events in Bristol serve as a stark reminder: the power of music to unite is matched only by the responsibility of the industry to protect artists from discrimination, regardless of the political climate or the pressures of the moment.
