On October 24, vocalist Kat Katz announced she was leaving Agoraphobic Nosebleed because she was "tired of being bullied by dudes." The band fired back with their side of the story shortly after, and now Katz has responded with a full description of the events that caused her to leave.
Read the Katz's full statement below.
“My decision to leave Agoraphobic Nosebleed after our appearance at Quebec Deathfest in Montreal symbolized the end of a series of uncomfortable events I have experienced over the last several weeks with the band. These experiences included situations in which I felt my presence as an equal member was no longer respected, and my gender served as a reason to belittle my presence and my opinion on the personal dynamics and inner workings of the band.
As someone who has performed within the extreme music scene for many years and remained (to my own detriment) quiet about experiences prior to my work with AnB of harassment and sexualized bullying, I decided that for my own well-being, the cycle of misogyny, overt and unwanted sexual behavior directed towards me had to stop.
While I considered quitting immediately after our show in Montreal, I first consulted with several of my close friends to see if I could cope with what happened because I loved playing in this band and despite our differences, respected my musical colleagues. However, after considering the disrespect demonstrated towards me as a musician, a woman, and as a prominent member of AnB, I decided to leave.
The response by my former bandmates to my decision has been extremely disappointing, but not entirely surprising. Unfortunately, it is common for people to assume that women’s accounts of harassment come from a place of hysteria and hypersensitivity, versus the responses by their male colleagues that for the most part, are perceived as “the truth” – especially within a male-dominated musical genre and culture.
I am saddened that my decision to leave has caused additional strife, but despite that, I wish my former musical colleagues the best in their future endeavors.”
