Clowny and crass, yes – but how boring rock would be if artists like Brandon Flowers kept quiet | Shaad D’Souza

Surely as fans we want to see performers express themselves in concert - however misguided they sometimes might be

Earlier this week, the Killers were subject to boos and walkouts while onstage in Georgia after bringing a Russian man onstage to play drums with them. We don't know the etiquette of this land, but this guy's a Russian," frontman Brandon Flowers told the crowd. After the audience became visibly perturbed, Flowers doubled down: You can't recognise if someone's your brother? He's not your brother? We all separate on the borders of our countries? ... Am I not your brother, being from America?"

The answer from the crowd seemed to be a unanimous no" - a fair enough response, given that it was only 15 years ago that Russia invaded Georgia and still occupies around 20% of the territory (as well as significant portions of Ukraine). It hasn't been the only time lately that a musician has put their foot in it with regards to cultural norms, either: the 1975 were banned from Malaysia last month after lead singer Matty Healy kissed his bandmate Ross MacDonald onstage in Kuala Lumpur. Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia - and now the Good Vibes festival, which hosted the band, is demanding Healy and co pay damages to cover the costs of the event, which they were forced to cancel after the incident.