Manchester band Cabbage have said they ‘completely deny’ claims posted on Twitter this morning that their frontman Lee Broadbent sexually assaulted a young fan during their set supporting Kasabian in London.
A Twitter user Nicole S. Rushworth, who attended the show, posted a tweet in which she says the singer stood on the stage barriers, then ‘proceeded to put his hand down his trousers, fondle himself, then rub his hand over the girl, ragging on her hair. Basically forcing her face into his crotch.’
The tweet, which you can read in full here, goes on to say that when the woman’s father, who had accompanied her to the show and queued up early to get a front row spot, complained to security, the singer "flat out refused to apologise and got aggressive with him, stating it was all part of the act."
In a statement on their Facebook, Cabbage have responded by saying: "We completely deny the accusations put against Lee this morning. His hands were never down his trousers although he did go down to the barrier to interact with the crowd, as he does at all Cabbage shows. After a complaint was made Lee took it on himself to apologise, which is what any decent person would do if he learns that someone has been offended. Lee met with them, discussed the situation and hands were shaken before father and daughter left and then they stayed for the rest of the show.
"Security guards and everyone who saw the show, know that these complaints are completely unfounded. We’re very shocked and deeply troubled by these fabrications. Anyone who’s listened to our music, been to one of our gigs or read one of our interviews knows that we would never engage in any of the actions that this tweet accuses us of. We 100% support Safe Gigs for Women and everyone.
Love Cabbage."
However when contacted by tQ, the organisation Safe Gigs For Women said they ‘have had multiple reports from different people about the incident at the Kasabian/Cabbage show’, and that they wanted to reach out to Cabbage to discuss the issue.
A spokesperson for the organisation said: "SGFW is saddened and angry to hear of anyone being touched sexually against their will at a gig, by anyone, including artists. Artists in particular have a special relationship with their audience – they are often times in a position of power over fans who look up to them.When that trust is shattered it is particularly hard on the fans, who have invested so much time, emotion, and energy into their favourite bands
"That said, we only know first hand what we’ve seen on Twitter today. However, we have had multiple reports from different people about the incident at the Kasabian/Cabbage show. We’re planning to reach out to Kasabian and Cabbage/Lee Broadbent tomorrow to see if they’d like to discuss it with us. We want to understand what they have to say about it, in hopes we can hear their side and discuss issues of consent in the context of the artist/fan relationship during a gig. We’d also be happy to provide referrals to the girl and her father if they feel the need for them, as we do all victims of sexual assault at gigs who come to us.
"Generally speaking any incident like this is awful, and of course we say as we always do that all members of the music community should be held responsible for non-consensual sexual behaviour, including bands and artists. We will continue to work to change the culture in our community of music fans, musicians, venues and festivals so that it is clear that sexual assault at gigs is completely unacceptable."
If you need to contact the organisation because of something that happened at a gig, you can email them on keepgigssafeforwomen@gmail.com and mark "URGENT"
