Fremantle venue Freo.Social has apologised to Perth punk band Body Horrors after members were allegedly physically assaulted and verbally abused by staff from popular “sister” venue, Mojo’s.
The staff member, who was attending the Amyl and the Sniffers show at Freo.Social as a punter, was “clearly intoxicated” when she pulled the band’s singer Eden and another band member aside in a dressing room backstage and began “aggressively yelling in [their] faces”.
“Realising there was no reasoning with someone in such a state, Eden and I tried to leave, twice,” the band member who witnessed the incident shared on the band’s Instagram Story. “(She) then physically assaulted them by shoving them against the wall/door before opening the door to leave herself.”
The band described the alleged incident, which followed their set at the venue on Sunday, as “childish” and “unprofessional” on their social media page on Tuesday.
Freo.Social confirmed that it was “investigating” the incident on Tuesday, as multiple calls for artists and punters to “boycott” Freo.Social and Mojo’s rang out on social media.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to creating a safe and supportive space for our patrons, staff and artists at Freo.Social and across all of our venues, including our sister venue Mojo’s,” the venue wrote. “We operate under a clear Code of Conduct to which we expect all patrons, artists and staff to abide by and deviation from this code of conduct will be met with appropriate action.”
WA Police confirmed that a complaint had been made about the alleged incident, and that police would be making inquiries, according to The West Australian.
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Late yesterday, Freo.Social shared a second statement where they took “full responsibility for the events of Sunday night” and outlined steps they had taken to address its impact. After speaking with witnesses and venue management and reviewing CCTV footage, Freo.Social says it determined the Mojo’s staffer’s conduct was “inappropriate” and that their employment at Mojo’s had been terminated as a result.
The venue said it had reached out to Body Horrors directly with an apology, which the band had acknowledged. It added that Freo.Social “fully acknowledge[s] that many people were let down by our actions on the night”.
The venue also apologised for “any further harm” caused by their initial statement: “We also acknowledge that the response on social media, which intended to provide an update regarding the incident, lacked empathy.”
The statement added that in light of the incident, Freo.Social will be updating its code of conduct and backstage protocols “as a priority” and provide further training for staff and security.
“We will also continue to engage with the relevant agencies and the music community with the intention of implementing further safety and inclusion practices as part of our commitment to continuous improvement,” it said. “This incident has profoundly impacted many people, for which we sincerely apologise.”
The venue invited anyone that would like to be part of the “ongoing and evolving conversation” to email them directly.
Body Horrors acknowledged the venue’s statement in an Instagram Story, saying it was “nice to see [Freo.Social] taking accountability for this incident”, but adding it was a “shame this could only happen [because] of community outcry”. They added: “We need to believe victims without further traumatising them.”
Eden took to the band’s socials to thank people for their support.
“I wish the incident on Sunday never occurred, it has been very traumatising and time consuming, especially as a disabled person,” they wrote. “Venues and staff need to be held accountable for their actions. Together as a community we need to enact change so situations like this do not happen again.”
Local artist Noah Dillon announced the “heartbreaking” decision to cancel the first show of his debut album tour due to the incident.
“The safety of our patrons will always be our number one priority in putting on our shows, this was meant to be an inclusive and accessible gig that catered to the whole community,” Dillon wrote in a statement. “We will always err on the side of caution and protection when it comes to putting on events and after days of conversation and deliberation we feel this is the safest decision for everyone involved.”
He added: “While we feel steps have been taken in the right direction, the negative effect of Sunday’s actions have taken a [toll] on us, the wonderful support bands and the promotion of this gig.”
Dillon encouraged people who had bought a ticket to the Freo.Social event to refund from point of purchase and instead attend the Rosemount Hotel show in Perth on September 16th.
