ARIA red carpet flasher Kirin J Callinan dumped from Laneway Festival after artist protest

CONTROVERSIAL indie pop artist Kirin J Callinan has been removed from the Laneway Festival line-up after he sensationally flashed his genitalia on the ARIA Awards red carpet last year.

CONTROVERSIAL indie pop artist Kirin J Callinan, who flashed his genitalia on the ARIA Awards red carpet last year, has been removed from the line-up of the Laneway Festival.

His name no longer appeared on the posters for the popular national celebration of alternative music when they were updated with more artists earlier this week.

It was confirmed by rising hip hop artist Miss Blanks that she had protested his inclusion in the line-up because of a “long and recent history of reckless and insensitive actions”.

The Brisbane rapper Sian Vandermuelen, who records and performs as Miss Blanks, is the ambassador for 1800 LANEWAY, a new hotline promoting the festival’s safe space initiative.

She raised her concerns with the festival promoters after the ARIA Awards incident in November when Callinan lifted up his kilt to expose himself on the red carpet as photographers egged him on.

There were dozens of young girls lining the red carpet keen to see Harry Styles.

Kirin J. Callinan on the ARIA Awards red carpet before he exposed himself. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts.

Miss Blanks cited other questionable behaviour including a stunt at the Sugar Mountain festival in 2013 when the provocative artist told his audience he planned to plant a man with photosensitive epilepsy in the crowd and induce a seizure with the use of strobe lighting.

Fans walked out and the festival organisers said the stunt breached their duty of care policies. It was later revealed the man was an actor as were hecklers in the crowd.

Callinan also provoked protests when the vinyl release of his Bravado album last year featured him in nude in dark bronze body paint which some commentators claimed bordered on black face.

Laneway organisers had taken Miss Blanks comments on board and had internal discussions about his inclusion on the bill before deciding to kick him off the line-up.

They would not comment officially but Miss Blanks applauded the decision on Instagram on Thursday.

Rapper Miss Blanks raised concerns about Callinan with Laneway organisers. Picture: Supplied.

Miss Blanks was one of the breakout artists at the annual music industry conference BigSound last year and should land on the Triple J Hottest 100 with her popular tune Freq U.

“I believe in the importance of a process of accountability which is why I applaud the organisers of Laneway’s decision to remove Kirin J Callinan from the festival line-up,” Miss Blanks posted.

“His long and recent history of reckless and insensitive actions reinforces an entitlement which permits Kirin and others like him to dismiss valid issues, and normalises racism, ableism and sexual assault.

“Amid the ‘me too’ discussions, it’s important to see preventative actions as well as support systems.

“I feel good knowing that Laneway Festival are working hard with their artists, including myself, to create a more inclusive and safe space for its talent, staff, and patrons, as well as the introduction of the 1800 Laneway program.”

Next time you feel inclined to @ me about whether Kirin J Callinan did the wrong thing, don't - and refer to this instead. In the state of NSW, obscene exposure in a public place is a crime. It is not legal. Why are we still going over this? pic.twitter.com/6ILZ6HX9zJ

— Eliza Barr (@ElizaJBarr) January 19, 2018

Callinan confirmed he would no longer be performing at the 2018 festival, which kicks off its Australian run on February 2 in Adelaide, in a now deleted post on Instagram.

“To all the kind and inquisitive folk that’a bin reachin out re Laneway ~ I appreciate the concern & I’ll address this in time, you have my word. As it stands, I will no longer be performing at Laneway this year.”

Several fans questioned the decision to drop him from the line-up.

@KirinJCallinan's removal from @lanewayfest lineup should be seiously questioned. Letting people's feelings dictate what is and isn't offensive is one thing, but using that as an excuse for censorship is the start of something very, very dangerous. #laneway https://t.co/D6lIV3n4FN

— Joe Action Cutcliffe (@joecutcliffe) January 18, 2018

Booting @KirinJCallinan from Laneway is petty and small. Guy stands out in a sea of pretentious paint-by-numbers pop. Tricky time for artists who are abrasive, eccentric or just doing dumb shit.

— Anthony Costa (@costasports) January 18, 2018

Callinan became a global viral sensation last year when American tonight show host Jimmy Fallon sledged his single Big Enough, which features the distinctive rock scream of Jimmy Barnes, on his Do Not Play segment.