There are many these days who claim we live at the mercy of cancel culture – those who believe in it speak of angry mobs with online pitchforks descending down on them if they dare go against certain opinions. Here at Ears To The House, we suspect it’s sometimes used as a shield against criticism by those who just want to say nasty things.

It’s with this in mind that we notice Osunlade had his appearance at Ireland’s All Together Now festival pulled recently – and it was all over, shall we say, impolite comments about the transgender community. Given Osunlade’s habit of talking about controversial subjects in an unfiltered manner – as Ears To The House has previously documented – they can’t realistically claim to have been surprised to hear his views.

Here’s what the man himself had to say…

Now, Ears To The House believes in freedom of speech. So long as you’re not inciting others to break the law or commit violence, we struggle to see other reasons why it should be curtailed. However, freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from the consequences of said speech – and All Together Now were perfectly within their rights to drop him from the lineup over this.

But what was honestly achieved by doing so? Osunlade himself hasn’t changed his views – if anything, he’s doubled down on them. He isn’t losing out financially – DJ contracts nowadays routinely state any cancellation on the organiser’s part results in most, if not all, their fee being payable.

In other words, Osunlade doesn’t have to fly into Dublin Airport and endure the temperamental Irish weather – and still gets his money, whilst still spouting his views on Instagram. If “the trans mafia”, as Osunlade calls them, were trying to censor him, it doesn’t look to us like they’ve succeeded.

So what was really behind all this? It didn’t take long for Ears To The House to find a possible answer – in 2022, All Together Now faced a backlash after booking two speakers who held some divisive views. Rachel Moran, a former prostitute, is a self-professed feminist who believes recent changes to Irish law are to the detriment of women – whilst Stella O’Malley is the founder of Genspect, a group opposed to transgender rights.

Indeed, Rachel Moran is actually taking legal action against All Together Now, via Dublin solicitors Lavelle Partners. Exactly on what grounds are unclear – although their own website states that defamation is one of the matters they can help with.

Given the legal wrangle that All Together Now find themselves entangled in, you might think they would be a tad more meticulous in researching who they book for their festival. The fact they booked Osunlade, despite his views hardly being a secret,