British rockers ANATHEMA's recent efforts to perform live in Tunis, Tunisia failed after city officials scrapped shows at a cathedral and hotel over their fears the band would lure satanists to the concerts.
The plug was pulled on a sold-out show in a holy house last weekend (04Apr09), and when the band attempted to reschedule the gig at their hotel, that was cancelled too.
A spokesman for the band says, "Somebody informed the Tunisian interior ministry that Anathema are Satan worshippers who eat black cats and drink their blood. The ministry have requested song lyrics to peruse over the weekend in order to put their minds at rest."
Band member Danny Cavanagh tells the Liverpool Echo newspaper, "If you read any of our lyrics, you'll see nothing could be further from the truth than what's been said. We don't even swear in our songs. A lot of lyrics are about healing and light and are very positive.
"We're just normal lads, the last band you could accuse of Satanism. I think all it was was a rival promoter using any means he could to get the show cancelled."
The band hopes to return to Tunisia in June (09) to reschedule the cathedral show.