The Pixies came together in 1986, broke up in 1993, and have been reunited for more than six years. However, Israel is not impressed, and the band has canceled their appearance in the country. But, at least the Pixies are not alone in their actions. Gorillaz, Elvis Costello, and Klaxons have all decided to bow out of scheduled dates in Israel. Get all the details after the break.

The Pixies established themselves in Boston in 1986. They broke up in 1993, but were credited as being the forebearers of alternative rock by many groups, including Nirvana. Though they’ve missed out on the '90s rock glory years, they’ve managed to put their differences aside, and have been back together since 2004. Their legacy and following are the stuff musicians dream of. But Israel cannot be bothered. At least not right now, considering the current state of the country and its wavering security level.

Fans were disappointed when the Pixies cancelled their show in Israel just three days before the performance. After Israel intercepted a Gaza-bound flotilla, the Pixies announced yesterday, "We'd like to extend our deepest apologies to the fans, but events beyond all our control have conspired against us. We can only hope for better days, in which we will finally present the long awaited visit of the Pixies in Israel." A list of their remaining tour dates is below.

This is not the first time the war in Gaza has affected the music scene in recent months. According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, “two other groups, Klaxons and the Gorillaz, canceled their scheduled performances in Israel following the deaths of nine activists during clashes with Israeli Navy commandos during the boarding of one of the flotilla's ships early on May 31".

The cancellations come less than a month following Elvis Costello's decision to cancel his own shows, possibly out of political protest of the ongoing violence in Israel. Costello called the cancellation of his scheduled June 30 and 31 concerts "a matter of instinct and conscience".

In his official letter regarding his final decision to back out of his two shows, the legendary musician writes, "I must believe that the audience for the coming concerts would have contained many people who question the policies of their government on settlement and deplore conditions that visit intimidation, humiliation or much worse on Palestinian civilians in the name of national security." He continues, "I am also keenly aware of the sensitivity of these themes in the wake of so many despicable acts of violence perpetrated in the name of liberation." Whether or not Costello is doing this for political reasons is unspoken, but seems to be the case. Towards the end of his letter, he states, "Some will regard all of this an unknowable without personal experience but if these subjects are actually too grave and complex to be addressed in a concert, then it is also quite impossible to simply look the other way."

Does this mean that Costello realized that his actions (by performing a show) would have no real consequences for him, but instead could lead to the deaths of more people within the war zone boundaries? Producer Shuki Weiss claims that “intense pressure is being applied to foreign artists not to come to Israel”, referring to it as “cultural terrorism”. While many countries outside of this terror zone are often immune to the war's effects, this may be one instance where the consequences are no longer out of sight and out of mind.

While Costello has bowed out of his Israel shows, his wife, Diana Krall, has yet to cancel her plans to make a venture into Israel on her upcoming summer tour. Likewise, Brit rockers Placebo have refused to cancel their slot in an upcoming Tel Aviv music festival. However, like The Pixies and Elvis Costello, both Gorillaz and Klaxons have opted out of upcoming dates in Israel.

What will happen within this war zone remains to be seen. Whether or not the Pixies, Costello, and others will play shows Israel in the future is not known, but be sure to check back with Inyourspeakers as more details are known. While you look through the list, catch tracks from all of the aforementioned musical acts at the bottom of the page.

Pixies Tour Dates 2010

July 30 - Woodford, Australia @ Splendour In The Grass 2010
August 3 - Christchurch, New Zealand @ Westpac Arena
August 7 - Tokyo, Japan @ Chiba Marine Stadium
September 7 - Upper Darby, PA @ Tower Theatre
September 10 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
September 13 - Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
September 17 - Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
September 18 - Tulsa, OK @ Brady Theater
September 19 - Grand Prairie, TX @ Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
September 20 - Houston, TX @ Verizon Wireless Theater
September 22 - Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall
September 24 - Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheatre
September 25 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel
September 26 - La Jolla, CA @ RIMAC Arena