Visa Problems Force Two Bands To Drop Out Of Punk Rock Bowling Festival

Visa issues persist for international artists attempting to perform in the States, and it’s now affecting the Punk Rock Bowling festival in Las Vegas. Violencia, a band from Tijuana, Mexico, and Sweden’s The Baboon Show will not participate in the three-day music festival taking place May 24-26, the event’s Instagram page announced on April 29.

The Baboon Show was supposed to perform at the festival and support New Bomb Turks’ show at the Usual Place on May 25. The Bar Stool Preachers will take on the Swedish band’s festival slot, and Western Addiction from San Francisco is slated to perform at the club concert.

Bullshit Detector will replace Violencia at the festival.

“We’re fighting tooth and nail to get all the international bands on PRB into the country, despite the xenophobic hysteria at the border,” festival organizers wrote on Instagram. “Unfortunately, The Baboon Show and Violencia won’t be joining us this year. …Thanks for rolling with us; we can’t wait to see you soon!”

Punk Rock Bowling is celebrating its 25^th year with Cock Sparrer, Peter Hook & the Light and Social Distortion headlining the festival. Other acts on the bill include Power Trick, The Interrupters, Flag, The Adicts, Bouncing Souls, Frank Turner and The Damned.

See Rocking In The Free World? The U.S. Artist Visa Nightmare

The process of acquiring a visa to perform in the U.S. has never been easy for foreign artists, and it’s gotten a lot more complicated with fee hikes and lengthy wait times. Recent deportations and the Trump administration’s rhetoric have many, including artists, on edge.

FKA Twigs canceled her North American tour because of visa issues, and regional Mexican band Los Alegres del Barranco were recently barred from performing in the States because one of their sets in Mexico included the image of a cartel leader. The bad members have not been accused of having ties to crime organizations, and they have since apologized for the expression.