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The Killers have announced they are “conducting a thorough investigation into past and present tour staff” following allegations of sexual misconduct on one of their tours.
It comes after a female sound engineer claims she witnessed a woman being abused backstage during their 2009 US tour in a blog posted on her Twitter account.
WARNING: The rest of this article contains details some readers may find upsetting
The woman, who is named on her account as Chez Cherrie, wrote: “We were about half way through our load-in when the FOH [front of house] engineer came over [the] radio and said, ‘Hey guys, there is a girl set up in Dressing Room A. Put your name on the list outside the door with your radio channel and we’ll call you when it’s your turn’.
“I continued my load out, occasionally hearing a name come over the radio to notify them that it was their turn on the train in Dressing Room A.”
Trigger Warning: rapehttps://t.co/6L4HX8r09y
— Chez Cherrie (@ofcherrie) July 22, 2020
As they were departing, she said a security guard ran towards the bus. “The security guy said, and I will never forget this moment because a piece of me died that night, ‘That girl in Dressing Room A is passed out and naked. Is anyone going to take care of her?'”
She alleges the men on the bus laughed and declined, before leaving the venue.
“I cried that night in my bunk,” she added. “I should’ve left the tour. I should’ve spoken up for that woman. I should’ve defended her… and made sure she was okay.”
Cherrie did not initially name the band in the article, which was published in 2018, but she identified them as The Killers when she re-posted the blog on Twitter today (July 29).
None of the band members were implicated in the assault.
A legal representative for The Killers has since issued a statement to NME saying: “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.
“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.
“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 statement added: “The band are astonished and shocked by these claims. The behaviour attributed to them and their crew is unrecognisable and in direct opposition to the principles with which they run their workplace.”
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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