Statement from Neil Young’s website, Neil Young Archives, 12 December 2018
Neil Young has confirmed that his Hyde Park concert in July 2019 will go ahead without sponsorship from Barclaycard in a dispute over investment in fracking.
A statement on his website, Neil Young Archives (NYA), said today:
“NYA is happy to announce that the Hyde Park show will proceed without Barclays as a sponsor.
“We are overjoyed, so happy to be playing the show!”
UK anti-fracking groups had contacted the singer when the concert sponsorship was announced to point out the link between fracking investment and Barclays, Barclaycard’s owner.
This afternoon, Pip Hockey, speaking for 30 groups said:
“We’re delighted that Neil Young has used his influence to sever ties with Barclays.
“The toxic bank was attempting to exploit his performance to distract from their pitiful record on the environment.
“Barclays are funding ecocide all over the world through their investments in tar sands pipelines and fracking.
“We hope other artists will take similar positions and boycott Barclays.”
Last week, Neil Young had objected to the sponsorship deal because of the links between Barclays and fracking and tar sands. In the UK, Barclays owns almost all of Third Energy, the company that is still waiting to frack a well at Kirby Misperton in North Yorkshire.
In a statement last week, Neil Young made clear his objections to the sponsorship:
“’I am standing against Barclays. . . . .Not on their stage. Not under their name. It shows how out of touch with reality Barclays Bank is, still investing in Fossil Fuels.
“Our children’s Planet is in trouble. Fossil Fuels are a major cause. Every day it gets much worse. Science on this matter is indisputable. Period. Barclays is still involved in the Canadian Tar Sands and currently backs fracking in England, overtly against the will of the people. It’s like they live in the past.”
Barclaycard has not commented on the announcement. The organisers of the British Summer Time festival are expected to issue a statement later. But they told BBC News the Neil Young show, which is co-headlining with Bob Dylan, would go ahead as planned.
Barclays has previously said it intended to sell Third Energy.
Categories: Opposition
DRILL OR DROP? 
Someone worried this far out that the tickets may not sell. Cheap publicity.
The tickets are mostly sold, Martin. Your grip on reality is slender once again. As always you say much but know squit or refuse to face the truth [edited by moderator].
Excellent news. And Martin, that is such a lame comment that completely ignores the issue. Neil Young sells out wherever he goes, he doesn’t need ‘cheap publicity’, as you suggest. It’s about time the banks that are funding the climate crisis that is starting to envelop us are called to account, and Barclays are one of the worst offenders. Well done for Neil Young for making a point of this, and perhaps other artists and organisations might start looking at where sponsorship money comes from.
I do not like Tar Sands either.
What do you want a chufty badge or something?
if companies like Barclaycard that wish to appear respectable are shamed into ditching their investments, other investors will come. the laws of capitalism will unfortunately always trump environmental concerns. if we make fossil fuel use unprofitable, rather than just unethical, then that may work. tax the h*ll out of fossil fuel use at every point and it will soon stop
Only the individual can stop the use of fossil fuels cutting down every unnecessary use. Politicians don’t give a flying duck and business only cares about profit. Switch to clean energy and the big six will follow you; no company cares, just in it for the money – no money no buy [that sounds like a cue fro a song?]…
If everyone who opposes tar sands and/or fracking switched tomorrow to a clean energy provider it would make more impact that our own climate targets….now there’s a challenge everyone.
Tell that to your buddies who trot around in their diesel BMWs. Or protestors who sit outside PNR with their water supplies in several large plastic containers.
A lot of preaching, not much practising. Seems that is for others to do.
and you with a hybrid…cast your mind back to that myth buster….
Not very up to date, are you Sherwulfe.
I HAVE HAD two. No longer. Tense is important-especially off grid!
ahh but you had them and have a payback for this……swapping in cars constantly has a bigger carbon footprint than maintaining the one you’ve got….
Stop calling the kettle black Martin, your pot is very dirty…..
Who?
….is Bob Dylan? Crikey, where have you been!
Times they are a changing Sher…
🙂 Indeed they are Kish
Exactly GBK. Virtue signalling will get some support.
I prefer my music concerts to be about the performance.
Story has made front page
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/dec/12/neil-young-claims-victory-in-fight-against-concert-sponsor-barclaycard-bob-dylan-british-summer-time
It seems you have got your wish Martin, corporate sponsorship dumped and now just about the music, not the money; wow
The Guardian 🙈🙈
Fracking 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Give over Martin, the last concert you probably went to was Dame Vera Lynns farewell tour. You were past your sell by date when Neil Young was a break through artist
Have you checked NYs age??? Oh, sorry, forgot, research is not your thing. But, speculation still is.
I wasn’t commenting on Neil Young’s age, I know how old he is, I was using a reference to make a point about how far out of touch you are. Obviously to subtly for a dullard like you though.
Have you got that link to the made up article yet McFly?
I used that gag on you once crem, flattered…
Saw Bob in Perth Australia a couple of years ago… Great…
What do you think their carbon footprint is touring the World for decades non stop???
Pardon wtf are you talking about???
( Mods I am a little uncomfortable with the tone of Kishneys post even if his intention is a poor attempt at humour.)
Regarding you last part of your rather distasteful post I have less concerns about that than the damage you personally have done to the environment with you career choice. Why is your job not able to be carried out by locals thus reducing its already terrible carbon footprint?
Learn to spell before you call someone a dullard! TOO.
Is that the best you have, pulling up typos? You clearly do not have a valid argument.
How about the link to the article Mcfly, do you have that at least?
Pavlova, who sees his job to post insults and then ask the mods. for protection! You must have had a great time during your education years.
Why is protesting unable to be carried out by locals thus reducing its terrible carbon footprint?
I’ll let the mods be the arbiters of whether Kish’s post is appropriate McFly a merely raise it for their attention.
My years in education were just fine thank, I do wonder where you are going with this weak attempt at an insult, so please feel free to expand.
Again devoid of factual accuracy regarding local protestors, but what would you know living down south? Oh I forgot your imaginary associates/ex colleagues will have told you during you flights of fancy around the country.
And how about the link to the article Martin, what’s stopping you posting it?
The only music you will hear Martin is when the large person starts to sing and that’s not far off.
Already singing Jono :); the audience [investors] are weeping…..
I have tickets, and would be gutted if he cancelled, but what a guy, sticking to his principles! If more folk were like him, the disgusting facking cracking would never have got started in first place…
Apparently Neil Young is making the journey across the Atlantic by sailing ship and will arrive in Hyde Park drawn by Shire horses.
…and another pointless answer….
Apparently no one can survive without fossil fuel, particularly the most dirty like shale and tar sands; wonder what we did before this miracle? hummm…..
Live in caves?
nope, try again….
Fracking mines once decommissioned and deemed unprofitable, will then be used for their primary purpose to bury nuclear waste, it’s written up in a Gov paper somewhere. I’ll post when I find it
What’s a fracking mine?
…a big bang and a shakey shakey…..and no gas
Keep digging, literally…
Well it appears that Cuadrilla have stopped ‘digging’ again…….perhaps it’s just a long coffee break?