The Orwells Announce Breakup Following Sexual Misconduct Allegations
Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty
So long and good riddance: Wednesday, Chicago rock band The Orwells announced via Twitter that they are officially disbanding. The band released three full-length LPs and their latest was ironically titled Terrible Human Beings.
Paste contributor Justin Kamp reported earlier this week on the band’s mounting list of sexual misconduct allegations, which led to the cancellation of a hometown show at the Metro on Nov. 23. Lead singer Mario Cuomo, bassist Grant Brinner and drummer Henry Brinner are alleged to have engaged in years of predatory behavior, which was detailed in a Google document.
Today, the band simply tweeted:
The Orwells have disbanded
— The Orwells (@TheOrwells) August 29, 2018
Chicago bands and local music fans had called on the Metro to cancel The Orwells’ show, and they later addressed the situation in a tweet, though they did not name the band:
Metro does not tolerate acts of violence, victimization, or predation. We always encourage our patrons to voice their concerns and want you to know that we not only hear you—we support any effort that makes our local music scene safer and more equitable.
— Metro (@MetroChicago) August 27, 2018
On Monday, The Orwells provided a statement to Paste in regards to the show’s cancellation, dismissing the allegations against them as “baseless”:
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.