Viet Cong show cancelled, with band accused of having a name that “deeply offends”

Calgary group Viet Cong have had a forthcoming 14th March show at Ohio venue Oberlin College’s Dionysus Disco cancelled.

The promoter who booked the show has written an extensive apology, claiming that Viet Cong’s name “deeply offends and hurts Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American communities, both in Oberlin and beyond.”

Linking to an interview with the band, where they fielded questions about their name, the promoter says: “The fact that the band openly acknowledges their problematic name, yet fails to change it or do anything about it, highlights this blatantly appropriative move, reinforcing a tradition of American (and Western) orientalism and appropriation.”

He concludes: “I cannot with good conscience put on this show knowing that it hurts others, and the onus should absolutely not be on those who are hurt to educate the rest of the community on why this name is offensive.”

Catch up with DIY’s review of Viet Cong’s recent London headline show at Oslo.