Bon Iver perform rendition of US civil war anthem at Kamala Harris rally

Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon said “we’re here for the right reasons” before the US folk band played a rendition of Battle Cry Of Freedom during a rally for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in Wisconsin.

The group performed their hit tracks Towers, 666 ʇ and Flume to the packed crowd before ending with the patriotic song, written by George Frederick Root in support of unionism and abolitionism during the US civil war.

Vernon told the audience he wanted to finish their set with “a nice old patriotic song that’s been rolling around my head these last months”.

“We’re here for the right reasons, and we all know what we’re here for, so we’re going to do our thing,” the 43-year-old said.

“Make this music and make way for the people that we need to hear from.”

The rally comes days after Ms Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, announced Minnesota governor Walz as her running mate for the 2024 election, with the pair taking on Republican ticket Donald Trump and Ohio senator JD Vance.

Ms Harris has welcomed several music stars along the campaign trail, including Megan Thee Stallion.

The Grammy-winning US rapper performed a mash-up of hits during a rally in Atlanta including Girls In The Hood, Mamushi and Savage, before introducing a track titled Body by referencing abortion rights after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022.

US rapper Quavo also appeared at that rally, expressing his support for Ms Harris and praising her position on gun safety after his nephew and Migos group member Takeoff was shot and killed in 2022.

“You can’t understand the struggles of gun violence if you’re not in the field or in the heart of it. So one thing I learned about working with Vice President Harris is she always stands on business,” he said.