Brian Eno’s Together For Palestine concert took place in London on Wednesday evening (Sep. 17) with early estimates indicating that the benefit gig raised over £1.5 million ($2m) and counting for Palestinian-led charities and organisations.
The all-star concert was held at the OVO Wembley Arena and featured a series of performances and speeches by 150 leading artists and figures from around the world, including Eno, Blur’s Damon Albarn, Paul Weller, PinkPantheress and Palestinian artists Elyanna and Saint Levant. The funds raised by the concert will be distributed by the pro-immigration charity Choose Love, to organizations such as Taawon, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and Palestine Medical Relief Service.
Eno, alongside fellow producers Khalid Abdalla, Khaled Ziada and Tracey Seaward, announced the concert in July. He wrote, “What we are witnessing in Gaza isn’t a mystery, and neither is it a blur of competing narratives making it ‘hard to understand’,” it read in part. “When dozens of non-partisan organisations like Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders describe it as genocide, the moral line is clear. We can’t remain silent. Which is why I’m helping to organise Together for Palestine – a night of music, reflection and hope at Wembley Arena.”
On Tuesday (Sep. 16), the UN’s commission for inquiry declared that Israel had committed genocide during its ongoing military operations in Palestine. Since the Oct. 7 attacks, which saw terrorist group Hamas murder 1,200 Israeli citizens and take 251 hostages, over 64,964 Palestinian citizens have been killed by Israeli attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Over 90% of homes in Palestine are estimated to have been damaged or destroyed with the vast majority of the population displaced and requiring urgent aid.
The concert, hosted by comedian Guz Khan, was streamed live on YouTube. Prior to the event, Billie Eilish and brother Finneas appeared alongside actors Cillian Murphy, Javier Bardem, Brian Cox, Joaquin Phoenix and more in a short video pledging support for Palestine people.
The evening hosted a number of special musical performances. Eno teamed up with Albarn, Weller, Nadine Shah, Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor and Adnan Jourban for a rare public performance; he performed a piece of music especially composed for the event, before reciting Khaled Juma’s poem Oh Rascal Children of Gaza. The show’s visuals were designed by Malak Mattar, a painter known as the “Picasso of Palestine.”
Portishead reunited for a special pre-recorded performance of their 1994 song “Roads,” and Albarn’s Gorillaz joined Omar Souleyman for a rendition of “Damascus” which appears on the animated band’s upcoming album, The Mountain. Albarn also joined the London Arab Orchestra and the Juzour Dance Collective for a number of traditional Palestinian songs.
Annie Lennox contributed a pre-recorded performance of her hit single “Why?,” amending the closing lyrics to: “This is the sound of drones and guns/ Watch the people run run run/ Shoot to kill them just for fun/ Bodies falling one by one.” The new version, “Why? – For Gaza,” will be available on streaming platforms in the coming days with all proceeds from the single going to the Together for Palestine fund.
Performances on the night also came from Neneh Cherry, Greentea Peng, and Dan Smith (Bastille), Cat Burns, Rachel Chinouriri, Celeste, James Blake, Sampha, Jamie xx and Paloma Faith.
The performances were interspersed with speeches, poems and recitals by actors Riz Ahmed, Guy Pearce, Benedict Cumberbatch, Florence Pugh, Richard Gere, and more. Broadcaster Mehdi Hasan was joined by Palestinian reporter Yara Eid in a segment focusing on the targeting of the press in the conflict area by Israeli forces.
Manchester United legend Eric Cantona made a surprise appearance alongside Mahmoud Sarsak, whose teammate Suleiman al-Obeid – referred to as the “Palestinian Pele” – was killed by Israeli forces while waiting for humanitarian aid. During the segment, Cantona called for a boycott of Israeli teams: “Clubs everywhere must refuse to play Israeli teams, current players everywhere must refuse to play against Israeli teams… football fans around the world, recognize your power – those teams represent you. It’s time for everyone to get off the sidelines, who will follow me?”
A number of musicians did not perform, but appeared with speeches. “I think a lot about what I can do, not only as an individual, but as an artist,” said PinkPantheress in her segment. “We have a responsibility to use our platforms. Neutrality or silence shouldn’t be an option. Give Palestine your voice, and when your voice goes hoarse, hang your flags, wear your keffiyeh. Show them we are here.” See footage from her clip below.
Merchandise from the event is available to purchase here with all proceeds being directly donated to the overall fund. Direct donations can be made here.