Reading & Leeds boss Melvin Benn has spoken about the lessons learned from the Kanye West controversy surrounding his axed Wireless shows.
The rapper was to due headline the festival, which was also cancelled, for three nights last weekend.
But they were all pulled after West was blocked from travelling to the UK by the government within a week of the initial announcement.
The booking prompted widespread criticism, including from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said at the time it is “deeply concerning that Kanye West has been booked to perform at Wireless despite his previous antisemitic remarks and celebration of Nazism”.
A series of festival sponsors also cut their ties with Wireless as a result, including Pepsi, drinks giant Diageo, PayPal and Rockstar Energy, piling enormous pressure on the festival to take action.
Ahead of the concerts being cancelled, Benn issued a lengthy statement describing West’s past antisemitic remarks as “abhorrent”, but called on people to “offer some forgiveness”.
Speaking about the cancellation now in a new interview with NME, when asked what lessons have been learned, he said: “Timing, I think, is an important lesson. I would hope that other people learn the lesson of forgiveness, because forgiveness is an important part of being a decent human being, in my view. So I do think that is a lesson, but that’s not my lesson.
“I think timing is an important one, but Wireless will return. We’re very confident about that.”
West initially addressed his past antisemtic comments directly in his Wall Street Journal “to those I’ve hurt” letter, which he originally shared in January, saying he “lost touch with reality”.
Multiple Jewish groups responded to West’s offer to meet and discuss his history of antisemitic comments, but still said he should not play at Wireless Festival.
He then shared a fresh apology following the controversy around his booking at Wireless which was later cancelled.
Following the cancellation, a spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism backed the government’s decision to block the rapper from entering the UK.
“The Government has clearly made the right decision here. For once, when it said that antisemitism has no place in the UK, it backed up its words with action,” they added at the time.
“Someone who has boasted of making tens of millions of dollars from selling swastika t-shirts and who released a song called ‘Heil Hitler’ just months ago clearly would not be conducive to the public good in the UK. Wireless Festival, in its desperate quest for profit, defended the invitation until the end. That is shameful, and its sponsors should continue to stay away.”
Elsewhere, Benn confirmed in his interview to NME about the festival’s “biggest staging and arena overhaul” ever for this year’s edition, while pointing to the “strength of UK and Irish music” on the line-up.
This year’s dual event – dubbed the start of ‘Reading & Leeds 2.0’ – is set to take place at Little John’s Farm in Reading, and Bramham Park in Leeds between August 27 and 30. Florence + The Machine, Charli XCX, Fontaines D.C., Dave, Raye and Chase & Status will all top the bill.
After sharing details of new dance venue The Warehouse – hosting the likes of Hybrid Minds and Skepta – organisers have revealed plans for a massive, wider arena overhaul for R&L ’26.
