Punk band Screeching Weasel breaks up after frontman punches two women at SXSW

*Trigger warning.*

Ah, South by Southwest. The two week-long interactive conference and festival is well known for its music, technology, film, parties, and….violence against women?!

Sigh.

Last week during a show at SXSW last week, Screeching Weasel frontman Ben Weseal (real name Ben Foster) punched two female audience members in the face.

And late last night, the four other member of the band issued a heartfelt resignation, condemning their frontman’s actions, including his violence on stage, as “shameful and embarrassing”.

I wish I could say I was more surprised that this hasn’t gotten much attention.

According to L Magazine, the altercation started when a woman near the stage reportedly threw an ice cube at him. Then things got ugly:

Weasel, real name Foster, angrily leapt off the stage and unleashed a wild right-hand punch that clearly, frighteningly, landed squarely on her face. A second woman, reportedly the owner of the venue, quickly stepped in, and then Weasel punched her, too—first in the chest, and then in the side.

There is video, but it is violent and as L Magazine warns, hard to watch.

As if this couldn’t get worse, according to Punk News, the woman who spit at him was herself provoked by his “misogynistic rantings.”

I’m really disturbed to hear about this incident. It is hard enough for women to feel comfortable and welcome attending music shows and festivals without male performers literally doing violence unto them.

There’s no doubt that we need more music spaces that feel safe and open for women, especially given the speckled history of gender-inclusiveness at SXSW and stuff like it. Feministing has had a presence at SXSW in the past, and Ann and Samhita have spoken candidly about their experiences as women at the event.

But it wasn’t all bad. Amanda Marcotte of Pandagon attended this year and notes that “every act I saw worth really writing about was female-led or even all female. And, more importantly to my feminist heart, this wasn’t something I really noticed until I was uploading the pictures to Flickr. It’s becoming normalized for women to be in leadership roles in music.” For a slightly more positive take on some of the feminist-friendly goings-on at SXSW, check out more of Amanda Marcotte’s coverage over at Pandagon.

h/t Amanda Burden