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Bob Geldof To Shelve Band Aid Over Criticism
After taking heavy flak for the latest outing of the charity single, Sir Bob Geldof has revealed that this year’s Band Aid song will be his last.
“I won’t do it again I don’t think” Geldof told the Mancunian Matters publication in an interview “But I hope that there is someone who is on the record this year who says ‘you know we can use that song in 10, 15, 20 years time’.”
The choice of artists performing on the single this year includes One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, Chris Martin and Rita Ora, in an attempt to ring in some younger music fans to the charity.
“If you can turn on a whole generation; if their heroes – and every 13-year-old girl needs a Harry Styles – can say why they are doing it, then you begin to get another generation thinking,” he said.
Not shying away from the criticism that this year the lyrics and branding of the campaign are reinforcing negative stereotypes in Africa, he commented “When this generation of pop stars go to back it, people go ‘Oh Christ, we’re going to have Geldof for the next three weeks crapping on about something in Africa’.
“But I’ve then overcome a huge section of the argument by starting to get people talking about what Band Aid is actually about. They know the cause.”
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