M83 frontman Anthony Gonzalez has given the support act of their Australian tour, Teenage Mothers, the flick after on-stage antics, mainly sourcing from their singer James Kennedy inhaling nitrous oxide onstage.
In a report published by the folks over at Mess & Noise it was said that:
“…M83’s tour manager branded Kennedy’s conduct as ‘disrespectful’, while Gonzalez allegedly labeled Kennedy a ‘junkie'”.
A claim which Raph Brous (guitarist) flatly denies. “James Kennedy is not a heroin addict. He has never been a heroin addict. He’s a fit young man. How many junkies can do back flips off a stage?”
Brous said attempts at a compromise were denied. “I promised that in Sydney, JK would not bring any nitrous oxide onstage. But that wasn’t enough for M83. They wanted to punish us. So M83 kicked us off the Sydney show too. They knowingly made us waste 10 airline tickets (return airfares for five people). We had been advertised on the Laneway Festival website and street press. A lot of people were expecting to see us.”
M83 is yet to respond to this outburst, however to an extent it seems that this action was warranted, as fans reported speakers being set on fire at their first show and inhaling nitrous oxide in the form of over-the-counter soda bulbs during the gig.
