Ringo Starr cancels North Carolina show to protest anti-LGBT law

Earlier this week Bryan Adams axed his Mississippi date in the wake of the state's ‘Religious Liberty’ bill. A few days before that, Bruce Springsteen pulled his North Carolina date.

The former Beatle will now not perform at his 18 June Koko Booth Amphitheatre show. In a statement, Starr says: "I'm sorry to disappoint my fans in the area, but we need to take a stand against this hatred. Spread peace and love.”

Meanwhile Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! has said that the band's upcoming show in the state will go on as a different kind of protest.

Mumford & Sons have taken a similar approach, writing on Facebook:

We will be playing a show [Thursday 14 April] in Charlotte, and recent events in North Carolina have got us talking a lot as a band the last few days, so we felt compelled to say something in advance to you.

As a band that relishes welcoming everyone to our shows and promoting tolerance, we do want to take a stand with the people of North Carolina who this week are shouting loudly against intolerance, fear and discrimination.

Over the years we've looked for ways to contribute to the vitality of local communities and, in that spirit, we're now creating a charitable fund to support those who have made it their mission to pursue love and justice. We will be donating all of our profits from this show to this new fund. And we will start by making a donation from it to a local LGBTQ organisation.

As always, we will open the doors to our show to anyone who wants to come, and are excited to get down with the people of Charlotte.

Read more about the HB2 law and its consequences for the state's LGBT population.