New Zealand musician Kody Nielson (aka Silicon) has spoken out after being kicked off the 2016 Laneway Festival tour for “kissing a cop’s gun” during his set at the Adelaide leg of the festival yesterday.
Nielson has told Music Feeds that Laneway Festival didn’t want his removal from the lineup to go public, but has confirmed that he has been taken off the rest of the Laneway tour and been fined $560 by police. Laneway Festival is yet to announce that Nielson has been removed from its lineup.
Nielson, who made the trip home to New Zealand today, says the incident involving a police officer’s gun occurred while he was performing from within the crowd at Laneway in Adelaide.
“Sometimes I perform part of our set from the audience,” he says. “There was a gang of six armed officers in the crowd and I started dancing with them. At one point I kissed an officer’s gun. I don’t believe guns are even necessary at all.
“Another officer then attempted to restrain me and I broke free continuing our set. I said to them, ‘Peace throw your guns in the sea.’ I was singing while all this was happening. Our set was cut short later on not because of the police, but because I had climbed up onto the stage roof.”
Nielson says that after his set was cut short, Laneway organisers “stood there in silence while six armed and angry officers threatened and intimidated” him.
“The cops were acting unprofessionally, calling me names, insulting my appearance and nearly ripping my passport in half. I feel the organisers should’ve stood up for me in that situation considering the circumstances,” he says.
As for whether or not he’d ever perform at Laneway Festival again, Nielson says, “No. I’ve completely lost respect for the organisation.
“They said they ‘didn’t want this to go public’ but I feel like at the very least our fans deserve an explanation as to why we just vanished from the lineup.”
Music Feeds has contacted Laneway Festival and South Australia Police for comment.
Following yesterday’s incident with police, Nielson took to Twitter to apologise to fans and to say he has been “treated like a criminal”. Since then, Nielson’s anti-gun stance has been defended by Melbourne muso Alan James Davies (aka Ezekiel Ox), who said Nielson “should be applauded”.
Laneway Festival hits Brisbane today and Sydney tomorrow, before heading to Melbourne and Fremantle.
UPDATE 06/02/16 7:05pm: In a statement to Music Feeds, South Australia Police say, “A 33-year-old man from New Zealand man was evicted from the Laneway Music Festival on Friday 5 February and issued with an expiation notice for disorderly behaviour.”
UPDATE 07/02/16 5.30pm: Laneway Festival organisers have remained bizarrely silent over Silicon’s ousting.
Watch: Silicon – God Emoji
Laneway Festival 2016 Dates
Friday, 5th February
Harts Mill, Adelaide
Tickets: Laneway Festival
Saturday, 6th February
Brisbane Showgrounds, Bowen Hills
Tickets: Laneway Festival
Sunday, 7th February
Sydney College Of The Arts, Rozelle
Tickets: Laneway Festival
Saturday, 13th February
Footscray Community Arts Centre, Melbourne
Tickets: Laneway Festival
Sunday, 14th February
Esplanade Reserve and West End, Fremantle
Tickets: Laneway Festival
