And Finally

M83’s Gonzalez discusses sacking Aussie support band

By | Published on Tuesday 14 February 2012

M83

M83’s Anthony Gonzalez has spoken about the decision to kick punk outfit Teenage Mothers out of their position as support band on the Australian leg of his current world tour.

Following their sacking, Teenage Mothers guitarist Raph Brous posted a lengthy statement on Facebook under the title: “Touring with M83, the meanest band in the galaxy”. He wrote that his band’s singer, James Kennedy, often inhales nitrous oxide on stage, but that the band had made sure M83’s team were aware of this before the tour began. Also, when just that happened at their first show, no one seemed to mind.

However, says Brous, 30 minutes before their set the next night, they were told they would not be allowed to perform and were forcibly ejected from the venue. They then flew to Sydney for the next show, but were informed when they got there that they were now off the entire Australian tour.

Brous claims: “M83’s tour manager claimed that we were ‘disrespectful’, because our lead singer inhaled a soda bulb onstage. So apparently M83 is a fundamentalist cult that requires abstinence from fun? Before the tour, I clearly informed M83 about our singer’s antics”.

He added that Gonzalez had said that the decision was made because Kennedy “looks like a junkie”. Brous hits back at that, though, by claiming that Gonzalez had asked members of Teenage Mothers to procure illegal drugs for him and his band.

Commenting on the dispute to in an interview with Triple J, Gonzalez said: “It’s hard for me to talk about it. I didn’t really like the way he behaved in front of my audience – offering whippets [nitrous oxide bulbs] on stage and almost setting the stage on fire. You don’t do that when you open for bands. I had tonnes of respect for all the bands I was opening for and I just wish the bands opening for me would have the same respect”.

He continued: “It’s not that I’m against punk and rock n roll, I love that. It’s just not professional… I mean this is my career we’re talking about and I want to make sure everything is under control and it wasn’t, unfortunately”.



READ MORE ABOUT: | | | |