Anti-Flag Breaks Up Amid Amid European Tour

U.S. political punk band Anti-Flag performing live at Heitere Open Air in Zofingen, Aargau, Switzerland
Courtesy of Oliver Gutfleisch/imageBROKER/Shutterstock

Longtime punk rock band Anti-Flag have damaged up after 35 years of taking part in music collectively.

“Anti-Flag has disbanded, the Patreon has been switched right into a mode the place it’s going to now not cost the month-to-month charge,” the group’s Patreon web page learn on Wednesday, July 19. “I’ll start to course of refunds to all patrons within the coming weeks. As soon as all refunds are processed the Patreon web page may also be eliminated.”

Following the announcement on the membership platform service, the band’s official web site and social media had been subsequently deleted. Frontman Justin Greever — who goes by the stage identify Justin Sane — has additionally deleted his Twitter web page.

The information got here as a shock to followers of the music group which consists of members Greever, Pat Thetic, Chris Head and Chris Barker — who’s often known as Chris No. 2. Anti-Flag was in the course of a European tour with the Dropkick Murphys. Neither one of many bands have introduced their plans for the upcoming exhibits.

Earlier this 12 months, drummer Thetic praised his fellow bandmates for his or her longevity as they ready to launch their thirteenth album, Lies They Inform Our Kids.

“It’s actually uncommon — extremely uncommon — and it’s a testomony to the truth that we’ve got a mission with the band,” Thetic mentioned in January to the Pittsburgh Publish-Gazette. “Now we have a perception construction, and we make allowances to have the ability to maintain that mission going.”

Anti-Flag followers started to query causes for the group’s abrupt break up after a girl named Kristina Sarhadi got here ahead on the “Sufficient” podcast — which is devoted to sexual assault within the music enterprise. Within the July 19 episode, Sarhadi claimed she was sexually assaulted by a singer in a political punk band.

Followers have seen that particulars of Anti-Flag’s historical past would possibly match up along with her story, per Revolver. Neither Greever nor different members of Anti-Flag have addressed the allegations.

Sarhadi claimed she linked with the unnamed musician at certainly one of his exhibits in Brooklyn and exchanged numbers. Weeks later, the pair met up at a movie pageant close to her hometown and hung out collectively at a celebration. After the occasion, the musician allegedly advised Sarhadi he had recorded a music with Billy Bragg and supplied to play it for her in his room.

“So he closes the door, he locks the door after which earlier than I may even flip round or search for the pc that he was going to play this music on … he screamed, ‘Soccer sort out’ and tackled me onto the mattress,” she alleged within the podcast episode. “Which is probably the most terrifying solution to start a sexual assault, I’d say. It sounded playful and he was guffawing about it but in addition as quickly as I hit the mattress, he put his hand round my throat and mainly become a monster.”

Anti-Flag was shaped in 1988 by Greever and Thetic however disbanded after their first 12 months. The group — which added Head and Barker to the band — determined to present it one other attempt in 1992 and went on to launch their debut album, Die For The Authorities 4 years later. The group discovered success within the early 2000s once they had been signed to Fats Wreck Chords and joined the annual Warped Tour.

After signing on with RCA, Anti-Flag went on to grow to be a global touring act and one of the vital politically outspoken bands. The group spoke out in opposition to wars, tyranny, police brutality, environmental destruction and social injustices of their songs.

In the event you or somebody you realize have been sexually assaulted, contact the Nationwide Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).