On Saturday, several stops on Geordie Greep’s ongoing U.S. tour were canceled following an anonymous accusation of sexual misconduct made against the singer. In a new report in Paste, the alleged victim is speaking out for the first time about what happened. In a statement, Laura (a pseudonym) said she met Greep and his touring keyboardist, Cameron Campbell, at a bar before the group ended up at another individual’s apartment. “It got very late, I was very drunk, and I fell asleep on the couch,” she told Paste’s Tatiana Tenreyro. “I then woke up to him kissing me, and no, not just a peck. When I realized what was happening, I pushed him off of me and called him out on what he was doing. If I’d had a couple more drinks and didn’t wake up when I did, I don’t know what would have happened.”
Laura’s story was supported by Campbell, who recounted his version of events to Paste and noted he has since quit the band over the incident. “I wasn’t in the room where it occurred,” he said in a statement. “However, I heard the victim’s reaction, which signaled that something was wrong, and saw the immediate aftermath. I later spoke directly with her, and she told me that Geordie had kissed her while she was asleep.” Campbell added, “I made the decision to leave because, based on what I witnessed and what I subsequently learned, I couldn’t continue working with Geordie.” Pitchfork has reached out to Greep’s team and Campbell for further comment.
In a response posted to his Instagram, Greep gave his side and apologized to the alleged victim. “I fell asleep in an armchair and, at around 6am, woke up,” he wrote. “One of the women in the group was on a sofa opposite me alongside three other people who were there with us that night. Throughout the night I had—I now realise mistakenly and stupidly—believed that she was interested in me. I went over to her and leaned down to kiss her. I kissed her once and she immediately responded negatively and pushed me away. I apologised and stepped away. She was understandably upset and told me to leave. She told me she had been asleep, which to my great regret, I honestly did not realise.”
Greep’s European tour, which kicks of November 1 in the Netherlands, is still scheduled to take place.
If you or someone you know has been affected by inappropriate sexual behavior, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN Hotline
http://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
http://www.facebook.com/crisistextline (chat support)
SMS: Text “HERE” to 741-741