2024 had already been a big year for Vera Ellen, even before she was invited last minute to perform at the Austin, Texas, South By Southwest Festival in March. Vera generously provided NZM with this summary of her very unusual experience, which played out just weeks before her album ‘Ideal Home Noise’ won the Taite Music Prize.

Playing SXSW had been one of those career dreams of mine for a while. In 2020 before the pandemic hit, my band Girl Friday got selected as an official performing act. I was elated. We were one stop on our lead up tour, in a motel in Phoenix, when we got the call from our management to say that the festival had been cancelled. Soon followed a series of events which led me to move back to NZ. I would never have thought that four years later I would be going back to SXSW to perform under my solo name, Vera Ellen, only to pull out on my own volition.

I was informed in January that I had been short-listed (only) to play SXSW 2024, and had to basically make the call if that little string was enough of a hope to plan a US tour around. I went for it, because I’ve learnt you pretty much have to in this business.

There wasn’t enough time to fundraise or plan much, so I emailed everyone I could and each pay cheque I would buy one more flight on the trip. Every second I wasn’t working, I was rehearsing or planning for it. By the time March rolled around, I had scraped together a mini tour. Only one or two weeks before actually leaving for America did I get the official acceptance into the SXSW festival. And so myself and two of my band members, Ben [Lemi] and Bella [Guarrera], packed our bags and headed to the USA. My diary entry reads:

I’m on the plane. Six hours out from LA. Last week a car boot fell on my head and I got a concussion. My ears and head hurt everywhere, and it’s a note to self, ‘protect your silly head’. I keep having the most existential feelings and dreams. I’m about to embark on a 3-week tour between a festival in New York and then SXSW Austin. It feels like a huge achievement for me but also like a constant dangling carrot, the looming hope of a career but never quite. This aside, I’m feeling grateful.

We headed straight to New York to play a festival called The New Colossus, which was based on the Lower East Side and took place across eight venues. We got our gear to a manageable load and between the three of us lugged it across subways in the freezing cold. We played two shows at a venue called Berlin, everyone was so warm and helpful and seemed genuinely excited to be there. The ethos of the festival felt like it was centred around connecting underground bands together from around the world. It didn’t feel gross or networky which sat very well with me. The shows weren’t super packed or anything, but we had a crowd and I felt happy to be a part of something.

Austin was coming up fast, but our plans would completely derail. A day or so before our flight, we were made aware that a few artists were boycotting the event. By 3:47am the morning of our flight to Austin, I sent an email to SXSW. It read:

“Thank you for offering Vera Ellen a place to perform at SXSW. After much deliberation, endless conversations and coming all the way from New Zealand, myself and my band have made the decision we must withdraw from performing at this event. We are deeply troubled by the presence of organisations that profit from war and contribute to global conflict, particularly in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and for these reasons cannot in good faith play this showcase. Chief among these organisations are Raytheon (RTX), its subsidiary Collins Aerospace, and BAE Systems. Raytheon manufactures missiles, bombs, and other weapon systems for the Israeli military to use against Palestinians. Collins Aerospace provides crucial components for military aircraft used by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), and BAE Systems has supplied weapons and equipment used in the occupation of Palestinian territories.”

In the name of supporting local venues and music in Austin, we went ahead with our unofficial shows, which I had planned around the festival. The first being the NZ Showcase at a venue called the 13th Floor. It was through performing these unofficial shows we came to see the real music spirit and culture of Austin. This came from the ground, the local venue owners, bartenders, musicians, artists, and people who were passionate about music. This was not dictated by events hosted by SXSW and whether or not you got an ‘official pass’. You could find this anywhere, and I’m sure all year round at that.

While we continued our mission of performing side shows, the boycott was picking up steam. It was now over a hundred speakers and artists that had pulled out, which was enough to spark international media attention from the likes of Al Jazeera, Time magazine, CNN, NPR, BBC, New York Times, Variety and many more. It was enough to scare SXSW into putting out a rather bland PR statement and make the Governor of Texas warn us to “not come back”.

It was a strange feeling. While getting so much love and support from NZ for our decision, on the ground I was well aware we were in the minority. The military were actively recruiting on-site at the festival, and the presence of the army and weapon manufacturers’ sponsorship was anything but subtle. The huge amount of money poured into the festival made it pretty difficult to ignore, and in my mind SXSW had become synonymous with blood money, giving me a constant pit in my stomach.

We attended a small but big-in-spirit protest outside the Military stage. We chanted and waved our signs while club music blasted and attendees sipped their cocktails and rolled their eyes. We marched past a red carpet where the likes of Ryan Gosling had been snapped only days before. It felt so surreal to be amidst such glamour and celebrity whilst screaming about the very real and ongoing murder of children. We congregated outside the Austin City town hall with pamphlets and information stands and raged out to a punk band (who had also withdrawn from the festival) playing alongside the highway. Sometimes it isn’t convenient to see things the way they are. But whenever I return to the reason why I do music in the first place, and ask what is my motivating principle, the resounding answer is truth. So what right do I have to turn my back on that at the last second?

The withdrawal letter closed with…

By taking decisive action, SXSW can set an example for other industry events and join other artists, musicians, creative organisations, and the majority of Americans in the fight for a world free from violence and oppression.

Thank you.

Vera Ellen