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Max Pilley
Earl Sweatshirt and political commentators Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker will no longer be appearing at SXSW London this week.
The festival is running in Shoreditch this week (June 1 to 6) and had been due to see Sweatshirt as one of its featured performers, but organisers confirmed earlier today (June 1) that the Chicago rapper was unable to attend.
Writing on Instagram, SXSW London said that Sweatshirt had “met with an accident” that has made him unable to perform. “We’re sad that we won’t be able to welcome him to London this year, and we know that this will be disappointing to fans,” they added. “His wellbeing must come first”.
Sweatshirt was due to play as part of a showcase at Shoreditch Town Hall tomorrow (June 2), with MIKE now set to take his place on the bill.
It has also emerged that Piker, the Turkish-American Twitch streamer and political commentator known online as HasanAbi, and his fellow Young Turks broadcaster Cenk Uygur, will not appear at SXSW London after being prevented from entering the UK.
The UK Home Office revoked both of their Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETA), which allow foreign nationals to travel to Britain without first obtaining a visa. The government said that their presence in the UK “may not be conducive to the public good”.
Piker, who was also due to speak at an event run by Oxford students this week, has angrily criticised SXSW London organisers, saying on X that “they totally didn’t defend me or Cenk at all”, adding: “They’re actual fucking losers and I will never work with them for the rest of my life.” He also encouraged followers who had bought tickets to see him at the festival to “demand a refund”.
The commentator is an outspoken critic of the Israeli government and said during an appearance on Pod Save America that he would “vote for Hamas over Israel every single time”, describing them as “1000 times better” than the Netanyahu government.
Labour MP David Taylor had called for Piker to be prevented from speaking at SXSW London last week, imploring organisers to “act responsibly”, while Green Party leader Zack Polanski has said Piker’s ban is “grim” and a “clear warning” of the “dangerous road” that the UK is going down.
A spokesperson for SXSW London has said: “We are aware that Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker are unable to travel to the UK following a decision by the Home Office. They will therefore not be participating in the SXSW London programme this year. Decisions on entry to the UK are a matter for the Home Office and the individuals concerned. SXSW London’s role is to convene a broad range of diverse voices and perspectives. We remain focused on delivering a programme this week fostering open dialogue and exchange of ideas and featuring more than 800 speakers, artists and screenings.”
Ash Sarkar, the Novara Media journalist that had been due to chair the discussion featuring Piker, initially called on the festival to “facilitate a way for Hasan and Cenk to contribute remotely”, and later pulled out of the event entirely.
“If I were in their shoes, I would hope that any organisation which invited me to speak, and had their programming interfered with by the Home Office, would have had the minimal expected integrity to offer some defence of lawful free expression and condemn government outreach,” she wrote.
Zarah Sultana, the left-wing MP for Your Party, has written to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to “demand” that she reverse the “indefensible” decision to band Piker and Uygur. “It raises serious questions about freedom of expression, the right to challenge government policy, and the extent to which immigration powers are being weaponised as instruments of political control,” she wrote.
“The question must be asked directly: was this decision taken to suppress criticism of the Israeli government and to silence those challenging both this government’s and the US administration’s role in enabling the ongoing genocide in Gaza?” she added.
Last year, a number of artists pulled out of SXSW London in protest of appearances from Tony Blair and David Cameron, among others, with some accusing the event of “artwashing” by booking speakers “deeply complicit in the current genocide of Palestinian people”.
A spokesperson told NME at the time that “SXSW London respects everyone’s views and positions and aims to create an open, diverse space for debate and discussion.”
“Across the breadth of the festival, with over 800 speakers, we have a broad range of global leaders spanning the technology and cultural industries, their inclusion does not represent an endorsement of any particular position or viewpoint,” they added.
The post Earl Sweatshirt, Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker will no longer be appearing at SXSW London 2026 appeared first on NME.
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lowkey also not tryna start a debate on intermittent fasting or whatever just genuinely curious if im alone here or what 
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like i swear im supposed to be focusing on my dj sets but then i got this idea for a zine about forgotten 80s space missions (did yall know the vegatation experiment on mir lasted way longer than planned?? weird right) and now im also trying to learn how to sew patches onto my fav denim jacket without it looking like a mess lol... its fun but i cant help feeling like im spread too thin haha... oh and dont even get me started on the playlist im curating for a friend’s wedding – they want “upbeat but not too cheesy” which is somehow the hardest vibe ever... ugh!!! anyone else in the same boat or am i just bad at prioritizing??
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seriously, whats with names like "bassquaker" or "glitchflux"? its like they just smashed two vaguely tech-sounding words together and called it a day. dont get me wrong, some are cool, but others just scream "i used a generator." feels like no one even tries to check if it sounds dumb out loud ive seen a few threads lately about branding for new djs and this keeps coming up. like, if youre trying to stand out, at least pick something that doesnt sound like it belongs on a bad startup logo. or am i the only one who cringes at this stuff? also, quick tip for anyone picking a name: say it in a sentence. "youre listening to dj bassquaker" should not make you laugh.
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Group projects can be a nightmare. Whether it's the workload imbalance, lack of effort, or clashing personalities, there's always something to complain about. Vote for the one that grinds your gears the most
What's the worst thing about group projects?
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Sam Warner
Original Catwoman actress Julie Newmar has been hit with backlash after suggesting that men should run Hollywood.
The star famously played the DC character in the 1960s Batman series, and in a new interview, reflected on playing sexualised roles during her career and the male attention it has attracted.
“Luckily, I liked it,” she told The Guardian. “It was good. I’m… not the first in line in the #MeToo class.”
Newmar then elaborated: “I love men too much. I understand them. And the heads of studios, yes, they break a door down, and they do this or they do that. That’s how they act. You think you’re gonna change things? Not a whole lot… And you know what? It works. It works beautifully because men are very good to women.”
When asked about the entertainment industry being run by men, the actress then responded: “It should be. They do it best.”
The #MeToo movement gained prominence in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct against producer Harvey Weinstein, with many survivors coming forward with accusations of abuse in the entertainment industry.
The former head of Miramax Films was one of the most prominent names exposed by the movement, with more than 80 accusations of misconduct levelled against him. Weinstein has denied any and all wrongdoing, but is currently in Rikers Island prison following a rape conviction.
In 2020, he was found guilty of first-degree and third-degree rape and sentenced to 23 years in prison. The New York Court of Appeals later overturned the 2020 conviction, deeming that the judge at the trial gave improper rulings. This included the decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
However, Weinstein remains imprisoned, serving a 16-year sentence following a 2022 California rape conviction.
Last month, Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett reflected on the progress of #MeToo, arguing since then it had been “killed very quickly”.
“There are a lot of people with platforms who are able to speak up with relative safety and say, ‘This has happened to me,’ and the so-called average woman on the street is saying #MeToo. Why does that get shut down?” she said at the Cannes Film Festival.
“What [the movement] revealed is a systemic layer of abuse, not only in this industry but in all industries, and if you don’t identify a problem, you can’t solve the problem.”
She admitted that she is still on film sets that have a minority of women, adding: “I love men, but what happens is the jokes become the same.
“You just have to brace yourself slightly, and I’m used to that, but it just gets boring for everybody when you walk into a homogeneous workplace. I think it has an effect on the work.”
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
The post Original Catwoman Julie Newmar faces backlash for saying men should run Hollywood: “They do it better” appeared first on NME.
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so i was thinking about how people get super intense about their keyboard setups. like yeah i get it, its your main tool if you type a lot but some of this stuff is wild. custom keycaps, lubing switches, artisan stuff that costs more than the keyboard itself its a whole scene. i used to think it was overkill but then i tried a few mods and now im kinda hooked. not on the expensive stuff but like, small tweaks that actually feel better. anyone else dabble in this? i found [this guide](https://examplelink.com/keyboardmods) super helpful for starters if youre curious also why is it so hard to explain to non-keyboard people why this matters? they just look at you weird.
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like i get it, being busy can feel productive but why is “i only slept 4 hours” treated like a flex sometimes tbh im so guilty of this too, like last week i was bragging about pulling an all-nighter for a project and my friend was like “thats awful, go to bed” and i was offended lol but she was right?? being exhausted isnt cute or impressive, its just bad for you. i think its tied to this weird hustle culture thing where we feel like we gotta prove we’re working hard by being miserable. anyway im trying to stop doing that and just... sleep. anyone else relate to this or am i overthinking again
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like not even good ones necessarily. im sitting here and out of nowhere im hit with the memory of that weird plasticky smell from the floam i had as a kid and now im spiraling into thinking about other dumb shit like the way old library books smell or even the gross chlorine pool smell from summer camp. its so specific and pointless but also kind of comforting? anyway if any of yall have random smell nostalgia lemme know im curious if im alone in this or just weird.
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like seriously it’s 2026 and i swear every time i see someone check their phone for teh time i just... cant help but feel a little sad. analog watches are so much cooler theyre functional *and* they look good. plus you dont have to deal with notifications or whatever popping up when all you wanna know is whether its lunch yet. i get it, phones are convenient but cmon, a watch is like the one accessory that doesnt scream “im trying too hard” you know? i dont even wear fancy ones, just a simple analog with a clean face. feels like people forgot how satisfying it is to glance at your wrist instead of digging out a slab of glass. idk maybe im being old-fashioned but...
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okay so i used to absolutely despise mushrooms like gag reflex level hate. but then one time my friend made this risotto with mushrooms and i didnt want to be rude so i ate it and holy shit it was amazing. now i cant get enough of them. whats up with that? did my tastebuds just grow up or something? anyway now im that person who orders extra mushrooms on pizza and people look at me weird
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