German industrial band Rammstein have responded to recent claims by women revolving around the band implementing a system in which fans are recruited to have sex with frontman Till Lindemann during intervals in the band’s shows, and at after-show parties.
Last month, a 24-year-old fan from Northern Ireland detailed her alleged experience in the lead-up and during a concert in Vilnius, Lithuania, in a since-deleted Reddit post titled “Fuck Rammstein.” As Loudwire reported, in her post, the woman said that ahead of her trip to the city for the concert, she was contacted by a woman, Alena Makeeva, who described herself on her Instagram page as a “casting director on tour with Till Lindemann.”
Rammstein Say They Are Taking the Allegations “Extremely Seriously”
The 24-year-old alleged that Makeeva sent her a link to a private WhatsApp group, eventually sending her an invitation to join a “row zero” area underneath the stage at the Vilnius concert. The woman said that at a pre-concert party, she had two alcoholic drinks but started to later act erratically and with gaps in her memory, prompting her to believe her drink may have been spiked. She later took a urine test which showed no sign of drugs in her system.
At the concert venue, the woman said, she was led to a small changing room underneath the stage during an interval in the band’s show. While in the area, Lindemann joined her. When she made it clear he did not want to have sex with Lindemann, he allegedly responded angrily. The woman later specified that Lindemann did not touch her during the interaction. “He accepted I did not want to have sex with him,” she wrote. “I never claimed he raped me.”
Last week, Rammstein denied the woman’s accusation. “With regard to the allegations circulating on the internet about Vilnius, we can rule out the possibility that what is being claimed took place in our environment,” they wrote. “We are not aware of any official investigations into this matter.”
Since then, others have spoken out with similar experiences to German media. Last Friday (2nd June), Tagesschau reported that research showed over a dozen women had recounted being approached by people from “Lindemann’s environment”, to come to after-show parties organised for the frontman.
According to reports, the women were asked to “dress attractively”, and one woman said she was clearly informed that access to the after-show party would only be available if there was interest in sexual intercourse with Lindemann.
Süddeutsche Zeitung, meanwhile, reported a woman’s allegation that in February 2020, prior to a Rammstein concert, Lindemann instructed her to come backstage, where the two had sex. She described it as “pretty fast and pretty violent”, and while she did not explicitly say no, felt “extremely uncomfortable.” She described the situation as an abuse of power.
Süddeutsche Zeitung also cited a woman who claimed she attended an afterparty following a Rammstein concert in Vienna in 2019. After drinking alcohol and passing out, the woman said she awoke to find Lindemann “on top of” her in a hotel room. Per the report, Lindemann asked whether the woman wanted him to stop, and he later left the room.
Earlier this week, Rammstein published a second statement on the band’s Instagram page in German. “The publications of the last few days have caused irritation and questions among the public and especially among our fans,” they wrote. “The allegations hit us all very hard and we take them extremely seriously.
“We say to our fans: It is important to us that you feel comfortable and safe at our shows – in front of and behind the stage. We condemn any kind of transgression and ask you: do not engage in public prejudice of any kind against those who have made allegations. You have a right to your point of view. But we, the band, also have a right – namely not to be prejudiced either.”
In response to the allegations, publishing house Kiepenheuer & Witsch, who published a book of poetry by Lindemann in 2020, announced they were parting ways with him.
