The Orwells Cancel Hometown Show, Share Statement Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Members of the Chicago garage-rock outfit The Orwells have been accused of sexual misconduct. Vocalist Mario Cuomo, bassist Grant Brinner and drummer Henry Brinner are alleged to have engaged in predatory behavior. The allegations arose after Chicago music venue Metro announced it would be hosting a concert by The Orwells on Nov. 23.

On sale now!

We’re hosting @TheOrwells on November 23rd! Grab your tickets while they’re hot: https://t.co/9OmJ6g4vCqpic.twitter.com/sbWUqEvKdx

— Metro (@MetroChicago) August 24, 2018

Twitter users decried the decision, citing years of alleged abuse. Accusers started a Google document in which to compile stories from former fans who felt that they had been preyed upon by the band, and multiple Twitter users spoke out about their experiences.

Yeah I was literally 16 when Mario would send me videos of himself jacking off https://t.co/BF4BnLjZwb

— bri (@strawberryspit) August 27, 2018

Yeah the lead singer was pouring honey on under age girls and licking it off of them at a show at the grog in 2013 he also grabbed my hand at the mercy table and wouldn’t let it go somehow found me on Facebook. He’s so gross.

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— peach boy (@mantismilk) August 26, 2018

Multiple Chicago bands have publicly denounced The Orwells on Twitter following the accusations.

i’ll go ahead and speak for the rest of @TwinPeaksDudes because i know we all feel the same. we don’t affiliate, condone or support anything about these dudes. they have a lot to answer for.

— JD (@jackydeezsteez) August 25, 2018

fyi – we 100% back jack up on this – we don’t condone any of the actions associated with them & hope all venues/people stop supporting them https://t.co/M5veW6aUii

— Grapetooth (@Grapetoothband) August 26, 2018

There is no room for this in Chicago (or any scene) https://t.co/f5ji3TzzWf

— Modern Vices (@ModernVices) August 27, 2018

Saw this on Facebook, and I wanted to share it here so everyone is aware of how awful the orwells are and to make sure this type of behavior does not continue https://t.co/iQaQ7FIQHu

— Girl K (@GIRLKMUSIC) August 27, 2018

We denounce this band’s actions and do not associate ourselves with them. We’d like to do everything we can to work as allies in this music scene.

— ROOKIE (@rookie_the_band) August 27, 2018

Reached for comment by Paste, The Orwells shared the following statement:

It’s come to our attention that certain allegations of abuse have been made against one or more of us on social media and in social circles of Chicago. We’d like to first state that sexual abuse in any form is abhorrent. We do not take these accusations lightly and consider this matter incredibly serious. We emphatically deny these baseless allegations brought as a personal attack against us.

While callow altercations and vulgar language we’ve used in the past must be recognized and owned up to, the accusations of sexual assault are completely unfounded. No member of this band has ever acted without consent or maliciously taken advantage of anyone. We encourage anyone who’s been affected by sexual abuse to speak up and make their abusers known; however we also encourage everyone to be cautious of the things they read and say on the Internet.

No victim of abuse should be hesitant to make their voice heard and if someone does feel that we’ve hurt them, we encourage them to contact us properly and privately (not via social media or anonymously), as to respect their identity.

Soon after, the band announced they had canceled their show at Metro.

Out of respect to our friends at the Metro we will be cancelling our November show. All ticket buyers will be refunded immediately.

— The Orwells (@TheOrwells) August 27, 2018