Radiohead Listening Party in Istanbul Attacked by Islamists

Variety Staff JUNE 17, 2016 | 06:11PM PT

A group of radical Islamists attacked a listening party in Istanbul where Radiohead was holding a listening party for fans in support of their new album.

The men reportedly stormed the record store, Velvet Indieground, in Istanbul, Turkey, and used pipes to violently beat fans running away from the venue for drinking alcohol during the holy month of Ramadan.

“Our hearts go out to those attacked tonight at Velvet IndieGround in Istanbul,” Radiohead said in a statement. “We hope that someday we will be able to look back on such acts of violent intolerance as things of the ancient past. For now, we can only offer our fans in Istanbul our love and support.”

It’s unknown how many people were injured in the uproar or the severity of their injuries.

One of the store’s owners allegedly posted about the encounter on Reddit, saying, “I am the person that’s speaking in that video. I am the owner of that periscope account. They were determined to kill us. We were beaten by more than 20 men with pipes in their hands, beer bottles were broken on our heads. I don’t even know how we made it out. I will share the details later guys, just hoping that no one will die.”

The event was part of a global listening party in support of Radiohead’s new album, “A Moon Shaped Pool,” and included specially curated playlists, games, and limited-edition vinyls.

http://variety.com/2016/music/news/radiohead-listening-party-in-istanbul-attacked-by-islamists-1201798367/