Ducktails tour dates cancelled following sexual assault allegations against Matt Mondanile
The musician was once a member of indie rock band Real Estate
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Your support makes all the difference.Following allegations of sexual assault against Ducktails founder Matt Mondanile, nine of the band’s upcoming 11 tour dates have been cancelled by promoters.
Mondanile — who was once a member of Real Estate — has been accused by seven women of sexual misconduct, as detailed in an article by music website Spin.
One of the venues where Ducktails were expected to play, PhilaMOCA in Philadelphia, issued a statement, reading (via The Guardian): “After reading today’s detailed article in Spin, we have cancelled the Ducktails show scheduled at PhilaMOCA.
“We have decided to donate the total gross ($) from this particular show to RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organisation.”
The band has been touring Asia over the past weeks. After the initial article was published, their Manila show was cancelled by Phillipenes promoters Sleeping Boy Collective. Thai promoters Have You Heard have also cancelled the band's Bangkok show.
Mondanile abruptly left Real Estate in 2016, the band saying the guitarist was leaving to “[focus] on his own Ducktails project”.
However, last week, the remaining members of the band issued a statement to Spin, revealing the departure was due to “allegations of unacceptable treatment of women”.
“We feel that any abuse of one’s power or status to victimise another is completely unacceptable,” the statement continues. “We applaud the courage of the women who came forward to make us aware so that we could address the issue head on.”
A former publicist of Mondanile’s also told the publication they finished their relationship with Ducktails after hearing similar allegations.
“When I heard these allegations I spoke with the label and told them I could no longer work with him,” they said. “The label suggested they would be doing the same. The band firing came later I believe. That was the end of my dealings with him. We never had contact again.”
Mondanile has since denied any misconduct, telling Pitchfork: “There’s nothing I can tell you other than that I’ve done nothing wrong at all. There’s nothing to find out about me at all.” Spin claimed the artist had “declined to address” the allegations.