The Killers Respond to Tour Sexual Misconduct Claims

The band's crew have been accused of abusive and misogynist behaviour

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished Jul 29, 2020

The Killers have responded to allegations of misconduct that a former sound engineer has raised against members of the band's touring crew.

"First and foremost, any allegations of inappropriate behaviour by anyone on the Killers touring team are taken extremely seriously by the band and their management," a legal representative for the band told the BBC.

The allegations were first raised in a blog post authored by Twitter user Chez Cherrie, who worked as a sound tech for a production company hired for a Killers tour in 2009. Her post recalls abusive and misogynist behaviour from the band's touring crew, in addition to details of an alleged assault during a tour stop in Milwaukee.

Cherrie later explained that the post was originally written in 2015 for publication through SoundGirls, though editors declined to run it. It was then published in 2018 without mention of the Killers by name, leading to Cherrie's tweets that named the band.

"This person's story is appalling and, while the Killers do not have the same touring crew in 2020 that they had earlier in their career, they will be conducting a thorough investigation into past and present tour staff," the band's representative said. "Their legal team will be reaching out to this person for more information and clarity on the alleged incidents as detailed, as well as to the audio vendor who provided crew for the tour."

The rep concluded: "The band are astonished and shocked by these claims. The behaviour attributed to them and their crew is unrecognizable and in direct opposition to the principles with which they run their workplace."

The Killers are due to release new album Imploding the Mirage on August 21 through Island Records. The effort features collaborations with k.d. lang, Weyes Blood, the War on Drugs' Adam Granduciel, Blake Mills and Lucius.

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