M3F Fest has come under fire for its handling of an act originally scheduled to perform in 2027 who called on M3F promoters to remove Israeli alt-rock trio Temper City from the bill.
A new lineup for the festival, a celebrated not-for-profit music festival launched in 2004 as McDowell Mountain Music Festival, was released this week with Flying Lotus stepping in for Jane Remover, the artist who refused to play unless promoters answered her demands.
Although born in the United States and based in Los Angeles, Temper City frontman Eytan Peled has publicly acknowledged that he enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), telling the Israeli outlet Frogi in 2023 that his military service gave him confidence.
A story on the M3F situation at the Resident
Advisor website reports that Peled told Frogi he emigrated to Israel, which he called home, "out of a sense of Zionism."
Jane Remover labeled Temple City 'that IDF band' in Instagram story
Experimental pop artist Jane Remover, who performed at Coachella in April, tagged the festival in an Instagram story on Aug. 5 that read, “Yo, get that IDF band off the lineup or I’m not playing.”
Temper City topped Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart in July with “Self Aware,” a song that enjoyed a viral run on TikTok earlier this year. They’re also scheduled to perform at Austin City Limits in October.
M3F has not addressed the reason for the lineup change, nor have Temper City or Jane Remover commented on the situation since M3F shared the new poster on Sunday, Sept. 6.
Comments critical of M3F including Temper City on the bill instead of Jane Remover have been hidden on M3F’s Instagram post about the new lineup, which simply says: “We just added even more artists to M3F 2027. Check out the new additions!”
Neither the festival nor Jane Remover responded to requests for comment from The Arizona Republic.
M3F Fest will return to Steele Indian School Park the weekend of March 5-6, 2027.
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Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more. He did the same in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. Follow him on X and Instagram @edmasley and on Facebook as Ed Masley. Email him at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Famed Phoenix festival under fire after controversial lineup shakeup
