T-Rextasy And Nnamdi Ogbonnaya Pull Out Of PWR BTTM Tour Dates

A touring member of PWR BTTM has also announced their departure from the group after the sexual assault allegations against Ben Hopkins.

May 12, 2017

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PWR BTTM took to social media on Thursday, May 11, to respond to allegations of sexual assault against Ben Hopkins of the band. The allegations were originally published on a private Facebook group before being circulated on Reddit and Twitter. The duo, whose new album Pageant is released this week, said in their statement that the allegations came as a "surprise." This claim was doubted by some, who said the band had been contacted about the allegations months ago.

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Two artists have subsequently pulled out of support slots on PWR BTTM's upcoming live shows in north America. T-Rextasy were the first to share their decision, explaining that they too were aware of the allegations of abuse leveled at Hopkins when they decided to join the tour earlier this year. In a multi-tweet thread, the New York band apologized to fans for being "selfish" and confirmed that they will no longer be appearing at the dates in July.

Cameron West, who is featured on Pageant and is a touring member of PWR BTTM, has announced his departure from the group. "Today, like many PWR BTTM fans, I was shocked to discover that sexual assault allegations were levied against Ben Hopkins," West wrote on Twitter. "From my understanding, these accusations were in fact levied via e-mail months ago, but were left unshared with other members of the band, including myself."

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Meanwhile, PWR BTTM's Father/ Daughter Records label mate Nnamdi Ogbonnaya, issued a statement on Facebook explaining his decision to back out of shows he was due to play with the band. "I'll no longer be opening up for PWR BTTM on this upcoming tour," he wrote. "It fucking sucks for everyone involved and in light of the allegations I can't comfortably continue. I hope that truth is found/admitted and I'm incredibly disappointed at this type of shit continuously happening. I love all of you."

PWR BTTM's tour is due to begin in Toronto on May 25 with dates plotted across the summer. The FADER has contacted representatives for PWR BTTM, Cameron West, T-Rextasy, and Nnamdi Ogbonnaya.


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T-Rextasy And Nnamdi Ogbonnaya Pull Out Of PWR BTTM Tour Dates