News spread over the weekend that the Canadian post-punk outfit Viet Cong has heeded the words of their many detractors and have decided to change their name. The soon-to-be FKA Viet Cong has yet to say what their new name will be, but announced on their Facebook page over the weekend that the decision was made months ago.
Over this time we’ve been listening, talking and having lots of valuable conversations with the members of the Vietnamese community about the name. Through this dialogue and hearing about what the name means to so many people, we have decided we will be changing the name of our band.
Earlier in the year, Sang Nguyen published an open letter to the band, suggesting their name was insensitive because it was decided on a whim with very little concern for what it meant to a large portion of the Vietnamese community. Soon after, Oberlin College canceled one of the band’s scheduled appearances citing their name as the reason. In their statement, Viet Cong made note of the rhetoric and admitted they have been listening and talking with members of the Vietnamese community, ultimately coming to the same conclusion.
Art and music are about creative expression. However, our band name is not our cause, and we are not going to fight for it. This is not what our band is about.
While the new name has not been decided, it was their intention to change it for their next record, but released the statement during their current tour, which they will continue because “we owe it to our fans to honour the concerts we have booked.”
Regardless of the new name, this decision should propel the band to new levels of popularity considering their music has always been well-received. Now their intentions can be as well. You can read the full statement here.
