Parkway Drive Respond After Former Associate Pleads Guilty To Offence

Parkway Drive

Byron Bay hardcore outfit Parkway Drive have issued a statement condemning the actions of their former merchandise manager who recently plead guilty to a historical child sex offence.

As the ABC reports, 44-year-old Jed Daniel Gordon appeared in Byron Bay Local Court last week, where he plead guilty to having sexual intercourse with a minor.

The publication also notes that Gordon is the brother of Parkway Drive drummer Ben Gordon.

The incident in question is reported to have occurred between November 1st, 2002, and July 11th, 2003. At the time of the incident, Gordon was in his early 20s, while the victim was aged 15.

“We've recently learned that someone we've been associated with has pleaded guilty to an underage sex offence in 2002,” Parkway Drive wrote in a statement on social media on the weekend.

“This is appalling and we condemn it. We're gutted and we support the victim.”

The band continued:

This happened before we were a band, however we bear moral responsibility for contracting him from 2003, on and off over the years.

 

While he hasn't toured with us since 2017, more recently he's been part of our Australian online merch team. When the band heard about this, we terminated his contract immediately. He's no longer involved with Parkway Drive in any capacity.

 

This is heartbreaking on a very human scale.

Parkway Drive formed in Byron Bay in 2003, and have since curated a career as one of the country's biggest and most respected heavy musical exports.

The band have released a total of seven albums between 2005 and 2022, with their last three albums – 2015's Ire, 2018's Reverence, and 2022's Darker Still – all debuting atop the ARIA charts.

Most recently, the band were announced to be playing their first show of 2026 in their hometown, having been included as an unexpected addition to the now-cancelled Bluesfest festival.

The ABC also reports that Gordon is due to be sentenced on May 19th, at which time a victim impact statement is also expected to be read to the court.

This article mentions sexual assault, harassment, and abuse. If you or someone you know is affected by these experiences and needs to contact someone, please contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au.