Los Angeles indie music outpost The Echo has canceled a forthcoming punk rock festival due to fear of “the skinhead element” being in attendance, says LA Weekly. The inaugrual Insta-Fest was set to take place on March 30 and feature performances from Old Firm Casuals (with Rancid’s Lars Frederiksen), L.A.’s own Toughskins, and a band called Custom Fit — apparently it is a thing to name your blue-collar group after styles of blue jeans.
Joseph Gaughan, head of the co-presenting Durty Mick label, explained via Facebook: “After 6 months of planning … The Echo at the last minute realized that some of the bands playing Insta Fest had band members and fans they referred to as ‘the skinhead element’ and they do not want those types in their establishment. They now have decided to cancel this show two weeks before … Their lack of communication and unprofessionalism is beyond words.”
SPIN’s request for a word from The Echo’s management was not returned by press time, but a representative told the Weekly they officially have no comment on the matter. As the local paper notes, L.A.’s skinheads are typically non-racist Latinos without any sort of connection to Nazi culture whatsoever. And of course if they actually did … probably not the sort of people whose good time you want to ruin.
