When AFRICA.ROCKS first reported the Cairo warm-up in February, the event was set for Cairo Jazz Club 610 with Egypt’s Erasing Mankind and Veritatem Solam joined by Lebanon’s Phenomy and Blaakyum. The date has stayed in place, but the lineup and venue have not.
In a new announcement, organisers wrote: “Due to the current circumstances in the region, there have been necessary changes to both the lineup and the venue of the Wacken Warm-Up Party in Egypt.” They added: “Unfortunately, Phenomy and Blaakyum are unable to travel from Lebanon at this time, as the safety of their members remains our top priority.” The statement also says: “Additionally, the recently imposed 9:00 PM curfew in Egypt has required adjustments to the event setup.” The revised bill now features Erasing Mankind, Veritatem Solam and “a special guest from the local scene”, Gorynov, at Ceryle on 18 April.
Reuters reports that the current war in Lebanon escalated on 2 March, when Hezbollah fired into Israel after the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, and Israel responded with a full air and ground campaign. On 8 April, Israeli strikes killed more than 250 people in Lebanon in what Reuters described as the deadliest day of the war, and more than 1.2 million people have been displaced. Reuters also reports that Egypt ordered commercial venues to close at 9:00 PM for a month as part of electricity-saving measures after the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran pushed energy costs higher and made fuel imports harder to secure.
