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Morrissey cancels Iceland gig after venue refuses to comply with meat-free demands

'I shall leave the Harpa Concert Hall to their cannibalistic flesh-eating bloodlust'

Jess Denham
Tuesday 03 February 2015 09:46 EST
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Morrissey refuses to perform in venues that do not go meat-free while he is on stage
Morrissey refuses to perform in venues that do not go meat-free while he is on stage (Getty Images)

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Morrissey might be known for being a bit of a diva, but he has just taken things one step too far by cancelling an Iceland gig because the venue refused to ban meat.

The vegetarian singer, 55, was due to perform in Reykjavik but pulled out after his demands went unfulfilled.

“I love Iceland and have waited a long time to return,” Morrissey wrote on his True to You fan website. “But I shall leave the Harpa Concert Hall to their cannibalistic flesh-eating bloodlust.”

This is not the first time that the former Smiths frontman has forced his meat-free lifestyle on venues, after a dispute with the Staples Center in Los Angeles in 2013 saw him order that any food offered to fans should be “100 per cent vegetarian with all McDonalds vendors closed down”.

Last year, Morrissey quit a Poland gig halfway through after heckling from a fan while a Germany show came to a premature end after a stage invasion.

It remains to be seen whether Morrissey will ditch his UK fans in favour of his rigid moral code when he plays six dates next month, beginning in Nottingham on 13 March and ending in Birmingham.

The Harpa Concert Hall is yet to respond to our request for comment.

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