Byron Bay Bluesfest's director has defended its inclusion of a band led by a man accused of threatening behaviour, saying the outfit deserves a chance at rehabilitation.
The event came under scrutiny for booking the Sydney-formed rock band Sticky Fingers as a headline act, leading to Melbourne band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard cancelling their performance over the inclusion.
Controversy has surrounded Sticky Fingers frontman Dylan Frost's behaviour, with Indigenous Australian singer-songwriter Thelma Plum in 2016 accusing him of threatening behaviour towards her.
The band later announced a hiatus from 2017, with Frost revealing he was diagnosed with bipolar schizophrenia and would be attending rehabilitation and therapy.
In a statement, festival director Peter Noble referred to a social media comment which noted Frost's remorse for former behaviour and efforts to manage alcohol abuse and mental health issues.
"I believe an attempt to victimise this man and his band in the circumstances is cruel and unforgiving," Mr Noble said in a statement.
"This cruelty and lack of compassion are foreign to my values, as is the attempt to suppress the band's artistic expression for entirely inoffensive works.
"I was and remain proud to give the band a chance at rehabilitation."
The six-piece rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard on Monday announced on social media it was cancelling its appearance, saying it stood against misogyny, racism, transphobia and violence.
"Surprised and saddened to see Bluesfest commit to presenting content that is in complete opposition to these values," the band wrote.
"We are deeply disappointed to be in this position but sometimes you need to be willing to make sacrifices to stand up for your values.
"This is, unfortunately, one of those moments."
Mr Noble said the festival supported diversity and freedom of expression.
"Over the years, Bluesfest has been the promoter of music festivals which allowed diverse artists to exercise their freedom of artistic expression and have afforded the Australian public access to their works," Mr Noble said.
"In the course of doing so, Bluesfest has been proud to give prominence to Indigenous artists and to promote diversity in the music industry."
