A global concert promoter that was acquired this year by a subsidiary of private equity giant KKR has quietly slapped a ban on all shows in Israel — a move that appears to be part of a boycott over the war in Gaza, The Post has learned.
Boiler Room, a UK-based online broadcaster and club promoter founded in 2010, has discreetly wiped any trace of livesteams from its previous Tel Aviv events.
Dozens of Israeli DJs said their performances were pulled last weekend without warning or explanation from the brand’s website and popular YouTube channel.
Yarin Lidor, one of the founders of the legendary Tel Aviv club Kuli Alma, ripped the surprise move, accusing Boiler Room of a double standard given that it never banned Russia events following the invasion of Ukraine.
“It feels less like a principled stand, and more like a symbolic move to show they’re ‘clean’ in the eyes of their audience,” the 44-year-old producer told The Post. “It is not about values, but about image.”
Lidor added that there had been “no dialogue at all” and that he only found out about the move when he was updating his own homepage.
Boiler Room’s moves risk land them in hot water with their new private equity overlords: KKR’s two surviving co-founders, Henry Kravis and George Roberts, are Jewish, as was the late Jerome Kohlberg Jr., who was Kravis’s cousin. Kravis’s foundation has donated to Israeli causes including the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra.
The Post has approached Boiler Room, as well as its parent firms Superstruct Entertainment and KKR for comment.
Two weeks ago, Boiler Room’s bosses ripped KKR following an online uproar over the takeover by Superstruct, a Europe-based music festival promoter.
Boiler Room brass insisted it will remain “unapologetically pro-Palestine” and claiming that KKR has investments tied to Israeli settlements and the country’s defense industry that “categorically don’t align with our values.”
“Boiler Room has been through various changes in control, investors, boards, and ownership, and through this, our commitment to editorial independence and Palestine has never wavered,” the Israel-bashing brand claimed in March
“We continue to adhere to BDS guidelines regarding artist programming and brand partnerships,” the London-based company added. “We uphold international law and human rights for all, regardless of identity.”
BDS stands for boycott, divestment and sanctions as part of a larger movement to punish those who do business with Israel.
Sets by Israeli superstar DJs Guy Gerber and Red Axes filmed outside of Israel, however, remain on The Boiler Room’s YouTube channel.
But the move to scrub its Tel Aviv events and ban all future performances there could spark accusations of hypocrisy even among the platform’s most left-wing supporters.
“The assumption was that if they were coming to Tel Aviv, partnering with Israeli entities, and receiving funding locally, then they had no fundamental opposition to working here,” Lidor said.
The woke British brand’s social media channels were silent for 10 days after the Nova Festival massacre on Oct. 7 when Hamas terrorists murdered more than 380 people and took 40 innocent civilians hostage.
The firm then issued a tepid statement on Oct. 17 that said “our thoughts go out to all of those on both sides suffering unimaginable pain, trauma, and fear” before calling for “an immediate ceasefire.”
Meanwhile, several dozen performances held in Russia also remain online, including parties from Moscow, St Petersburg, and Siberia. That is despite the country’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, with its armed forces accused of committing war crimes.
“I was not surprised to see the Russian sets still online,” Tel Aviv DJ Lidor said. “The inconsistency is clear. Cultural boycotts seem to apply selectively, and Israel is often the exception.”
“It feels like they are trying to erase Israeli artists, and the fact that Israelis are part of the music community,” added Nova survivor and Long Island resident Natalie Sanandaji. “It’s insane that they are trying to do this.”
The global brand has hosted hundreds of parties worldwide, with their broadcast streams racking up billions of views online.
