Camel Refuses To Pay Band After Anti-Smoking Comment

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Mar 28, 2008

Keeping with Camel and rock’s troubled relationship, the tobacco company is refusing to pay London indie act South after the band told the crowd at a Camel-sponsored gig that smoking is harmful.

After travelling all the way from the UK to the U.S. for South by Southwest, lead singer Joel Cadbury made seemingly innocent on-stage remarks while in Austin, now costing the band $20,000. According to Drowned in Sound, Cadbury spotted a Camel logo tattooed onto the arm of an audience member, leading him to joke, "Don’t smoke, it’s bad for you.” Upon leaving the stage, a Camel representative approached the band, telling them they had forfeited their pay for the evening.

South are now in the midst of launching legal action against the tobacco company in attempts to regain the lost wages. This follows another lawsuit against the company, who landed in a world of trouble after running the "indie rock universe” ad campaign in Rolling Stone.

And the irony of this whole story? Cadbury smokes.

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