Anathema anathema to Tunisians

Why you should be very carefully choosing your band name, part thirty-teen: Liverpudlian act Anathema were booked to play a big gig in front of (it says here) one thouand Tunisian fans. But they turned up to find the gig canceled.

And then they tried to arrange it again. Only for it be canceled.

It turns out the authorities believed they were Satanists:

Guitar technician Darryl Anthony wrote in his blog: “Our promoter informed us that somebody has informed the Tunisian interior ministry that Anathema are Satan worshippers who eat black cats and drink their blood.

“The ministry have requested song lyrics to peruse over the weekend in order to put their minds at rest.”

It's far from clear if it was the eating cats, or the drinking of cat's blood, which gave the Tunisian Interior Ministry most concerns. Perhaps they were especially afraid of the development of an espeically satanic cat-based black pudding which combined the most evil of two worlds.

The Liverpool Echo finds compelling evidence that they can't be Satanic:

Their lyrics, often focusing on love and loss, have never been a matter of controversy and they often play special gigs with accompaniment from friends in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Stringed instruments. How could they be evil?