Feist leaves Arcade Fire tour over multiple sexual misconduct allegations against Win Butler

Canadian musician Leslie Feist says she’s leaving Arcade Fire’s tour due to sexual misconduct allegations against lead singer Win Butler.

Feist had been booked as the opening act on the European leg of the Montreal-based band’s “We” tour, which kicked off in Dublin on Tuesday.

The tour went ahead just days after U.S. entertainment publication Pitchfork ran an article containing allegations that the 42-year-old musician had inappropriate sexual interactions with four people.

Among the complaints made to Pitchfork by the accusers were that the alleged interactions were inappropriate based on gaps in age and power dynamics at play and included unwelcome advances. One of the accusers told Pitchfork Butler sexually assaulted them two times in 2015 when they were 21 years old and he was 34.

The Canadian Press has not independently verified the accounts outlined in the report, and Butler denies the allegations. He says all encounters took place between consenting adults and that he never touched a woman against her will or demanded sexual favours.

In a statement posted to Instagram, Feist says she was already in a pub in Dublin when she first learned of the allegations. She performed the first two nights of the scheduled dates.

She says she’s not able to fix the situation by leaving the tour, nor can she fix it by staying. However, she says she must distance herself “from this tour, not this conversation.”

by The Canadian Press