Crystal Castles recently confirmed that a new album was on the way this spring, but fans hoping to catch some new material at an upcoming Tumblr-sponsored SXSW showcase are out of luck. The event was organized with the intention of shining a light on gender disparity issues, and Crystal Castles have now been removed from the lineup.
Frontwoman Alice Glass left the band last year, and Ethan Kath has since enlisted Edith Frances to fill in on vocal duties. Things got ugly at the time of Glass's departure, with Glass deeming her bandmate "manipulative" for downplaying her role in the band and restricting her creative voice. Kath eventually conceded that Glass did leave her mark on a number of the band's best known songs and wished the singer well in her future solo projects.
Fast-forward a year and Kath's revamped band were booked to perform at Tumblr's 79 Cents event in Austin as part of this year's SXSW festival on March 16. The event's name was inspired by the gender wage gap in the United States and was curated to show off primarily female art and music. Now, following comments from Glass, Crystal Castles have been taken off the list of performers.
"As someone who knew Ethan Kath on a personal and professional level, it is my opinion that he is not an appropriate artist to be performing at a feminism-centric event," Glass told The Verge.
Since those comments were made, Tumblr has scrubbed the band from the lineup and released the following statement:
We've removed Crystal Castles from the lineup of the 79 Cents party. We don't know the facts around comments made about a member of the band, and we're not going to engage in an investigation around it. We're hosting this event to highlight gender disparity issues, something that Tumblr and our community cares deeply about, and we don't want the band's presence to distract from this important mission.
Remaining artists on the bill include Jhené Aiko, Tacocat, Little Simz and Empress Of.
Frontwoman Alice Glass left the band last year, and Ethan Kath has since enlisted Edith Frances to fill in on vocal duties. Things got ugly at the time of Glass's departure, with Glass deeming her bandmate "manipulative" for downplaying her role in the band and restricting her creative voice. Kath eventually conceded that Glass did leave her mark on a number of the band's best known songs and wished the singer well in her future solo projects.
Fast-forward a year and Kath's revamped band were booked to perform at Tumblr's 79 Cents event in Austin as part of this year's SXSW festival on March 16. The event's name was inspired by the gender wage gap in the United States and was curated to show off primarily female art and music. Now, following comments from Glass, Crystal Castles have been taken off the list of performers.
"As someone who knew Ethan Kath on a personal and professional level, it is my opinion that he is not an appropriate artist to be performing at a feminism-centric event," Glass told The Verge.
Since those comments were made, Tumblr has scrubbed the band from the lineup and released the following statement:
We've removed Crystal Castles from the lineup of the 79 Cents party. We don't know the facts around comments made about a member of the band, and we're not going to engage in an investigation around it. We're hosting this event to highlight gender disparity issues, something that Tumblr and our community cares deeply about, and we don't want the band's presence to distract from this important mission.
Remaining artists on the bill include Jhené Aiko, Tacocat, Little Simz and Empress Of.