Canadian Radio Stations Pull Arcade Fire Music As Band Kicks Off Tour
Arcade Fire’s music is being pulled from some Canadian radio stations amid sexual misconduct allegations against lead singer Win Butler. According to Ottawa City News, a representative for the CBC says they will “pause” playing Arcade Fire on its CBC Music FM radio station, as well as the SiriusXM CBC Radio 3 station “until we learn more about the situation.”
The program director of Indie88 in Toronto also confirmed that his station made “a quick decision over the weekend to pull the band’s music” but has “not yet had a fulsome internal conversation about the permanence of this decision.”
On Saturday, Pitchfork ran a lengthy report where four people came forward accusing Butler of having inappropriate sexual relationships with them. They were all between 18 and 23 at the start of the encounters, which took place during overlapping periods from 2016 to 2020 when the singer was between 36 and 39.
Arcade Fire kicked off their tour tonight in Dublin at the 3Arena with Feist and Beck opening. Neither Beck or Feist have commented on the allegations, and the evening was apparently uneventful. According to a photo of Feist’s merchandise tent, her team will donate “all proceeds” from merch sales the domestic violence organization Women’s Aid Dublin. That donation is reportedly not unique to this Arcade Fire tour, however.
Butler has denied any non-consensual sexual activity. In a statement via a crisis public relations firm, he called accusations of non-consensual sexual activity “revisionist, and frankly just wrong” and gave an apology. “I’m sorry I wasn’t more aware and tuned in to the effect I have on people,” Butler said. “I fucked up, and while not an excuse, I will continue to look forward and heal what can be healed, and learn from past experiences.”