TISM ProfileTISM and the promoters of their current tour, David Roy Williams Entertainment, have called out alleged instances of inappropriate behaviour at their recent shows.
On Saturday (31 October), the band’s support act, Laura and the Hell Cutz, took to social media to discuss behaviour they’d experienced while on stage at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre.
The band said that, during their performance the night prior, they had “bottles and cans thrown at us on stage, sexually charged remarks yelled at us, objectifying comments made at the merch desk, and more.”
Laura and the Hell Cutz started their post by stating that “something needs to be said about men’s behaviour at live shows” after they’d been made to feel “extremely unsafe and uncomfortable on multiple occasions recently.”
They said their first night opening for TISM in Sydney (30 October) made them feel “so objectified and preyed upon” that they felt the need to speak up.
“Women should be able to exist, dance and have fun as performers who have just played a show they felt so proud of, without being spoken to, cat called, and stared at in such a perverted way,” the band wrote.
They continued, “It’s so incredibly frustrating that this is happening in the first place. We do this because we love it. We are so grateful for opportunities we’ve had so far, the Tism and Enmore crew, and all of the beautiful people we meet through our music who only have positive things to say, we’re just so fed up with the men who try to ruin it for us.
“Let’s do better tomorrow and everyday after.”
Hours after Laura and the Hell Cutz’ post was shared online, TISM and David Roy Williams Entertainment posted their own statement on social media, saying they have “zero tolerance towards sexism, assault, and aggression towards women, or anyone, at gigs ... or ever.”
Their post began, “Unfortunately, there have been multiple accounts of inappropriate behaviour on the recent TSIM - No Mistakes tour.
“Both TISM and DRW Entertainment have zero tolerance towards sexism, assault, and aggression towards women, or anyone, at gigs ... or ever.”
They added that catcalling is “not ok,” nor is throwing things at support bands, and “aggression and non-consensual touching in the crowd is not ok, and is a crime.”
The statement continued that, as music fans, we all have the right to have fun and enjoy ourselves, but without getting in the way of others and the performers from also enjoying themselves.
“If a mate is behaving badly, help them understand how that behaviour is impacting others,” the statement concluded. “If you see something wrong happening, alert security. Look after each other and have a great time.”
TISM – or TSIM – conclude their No Mistakes tour at UOW UniBar in Wollongong this Friday, 6 November.
Last month, the band urged fans not to miss their end-of-tour party, promising it to be “the end of tour party to end all parties”.
