The Smith Street Band Call Out Sexually Abusive Fan Behaviour At Shows

Melbourne’s The Smith Street Band have endorsed a message shared by Brooklyn pop punk outfit Chumped who called out inappropriate fan behaviour at shows after a few female audience members were groped during their Austin show.

“This is a reminder for anyone going to a show or riding the train or existing in the world that the ONLY body that belongs to you is your own,” reads the Chumped post. “Inappropriately touching someone against their will or using physical/sexual force to intimidate someone of ANY gender identification is molestation and it will not EVER be tolerated at our shows.”

“If you encounter any behavior like this at a show of ours in the future, please do not hesitate to bring it to our attention during (especially during) or after the show. You should NEVER feel unsafe or violated at a punk show, in fact we do this to deliberately create an environment where people can feel safe and encouraged to express and enjoy themselves while feeling connected to music they love and people they appreciate. Keep your fucking hands to yourself and respect people.”

The Smith Street Band later threw their support behind the statement, sharing the post and telling fans “the same goes for every single Smith Street show.”

“This sort of behaviour bums us out big time, by all means party hard, but if you’re the sort of person who’s bringing this vibe to our (or any) shows, then we’d prefer if you didn’t support our band or come to shows at all,” they concluded.

It’s not an empty statement either, earlier this year, a video surfaced of The Smith Street Band frontman Wil Wagner calling out an aggressive security guard at the band’s sold-out show at Sydney’s Metro Theatre.

The two bands just wrapped up a US tour in support of Andrew Jackson Jihad. Read both Chumped and The Smith Street Band’s statements below.

Gallery: The Smith Street Band @ The Lair, Sydney 29/03/14 / Photos by Ashley Mar

If you were at the show in Austin last night, I would like to apologize on behalf of several audience members who…

Posted by Chumped on Friday, 17 April 2015

Well said Chumpeds <3 …the same goes for every single Smith Street show. This sort of behaviour bums us out big time,…

Posted by The Smith Street Band on Friday, 17 April 2015

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