Mick Jagger says Brexit ‘has not been a success’ for UK touring industry: ‘It’s a nightmare’

Isobel Lewis
·1 min read

Mick Jagger has said that Brexit has been a “nightmare” for the music touring industry.

Since 2016, there has been much talk about the impact leaving the EU will have on artists looking to tour Europe.

This has included obstacles in obtaining visas and work permits in the EU, as well as transporting equipment across borders and other problems facing artists coming to the UK to perform.

In a new interview, Jagger, 78, opened up about struggles of Britain “isolating ourselves” through Brexit for musicians.

“There are a lot of supply-chain problems,” he told The Sunday Times. “A lot of shortages, a lot of problems because of Brexit. Brexit has not been a success for the British touring industry.”

Jagger continued: “I’m not saying, ‘Well, we’ve got to rejoin the EU.’ Unfortunately that’s all in the past. But from personal experience and talking to friends who are in other businesses, it’s not a success, it’s a nightmare.

“We’ve isolated ourselves, and that sounds good to some, but it’s an ideology more than a practicality.”

Jagger on stage in Texas in November (AFP via Getty Images)
Jagger on stage in Texas in November (AFP via Getty Images)

In October, the Society of Musicians warned of many tours being “unviable” for artists post-Brexit, with its survey revealing 42 per cent of artists would consider quitting the UK in order to rescue their careers.

In 2017, Jagger released two songs titled “England Lost” and “Gotta Get A Grip” critiquing Brexit.

Elsewhere in the interview, Jagger shook off comparisons between himself and Harry Styles, saying that there was only a “superficial resemblance” between them.

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