The Long Blondes reunion shows canceled after allegations against guitarist

Mid-’00s era UK band The Long Blondes reunited this year, and had shows lined up for the fall, but those have been postponed or canceled following allegations against guitarist and co-founding member Dorian Cox. The allegations were made by his ex-partner Victoria Lane, who labeled him “a rapist and systematic abuser” and described his “use of sexual violence (and physical violence under the guise of sex acts), was coercive and manipulative.” Part of her statement, shared on Twitter:

Also in her statement, Lane also says that Cox’s memoir, I Heard The Strokes Before You, has been canceled by publisher Zero Books after she contacted them. While the book is still available for presale on sites like Amazon, it is currently not on Zero Books’ website.

Dorian Cox responded on Twitter, writing, “Some serious allegations have been made about me today. These allegations are unsubstantiated, wholly untrue and strongly refuted. I welcome any investigation by the proper authorities including the Police.” In a separate tweet, he wrote, “I will, of course be making a statement soon. However this is now a legal matter so I have to be careful. Please bear with me, thankyou.”

Long Blondes singer Kate Jackson wrote on Thursday, “Some very serious allegations have been made against Dorian by his ex girlfriend Victoria Lane. Until these matters are resolved by the police I will be stepping away from The Long Blondes. All forthcoming shows are postponed until further notice.” Before that, Lane’s mother allegedly contacted Jackson to tell her about the accusations, and Jackson allegedly replied that the email was “harassment.” Lane then shared a screenshot of the alleged email in question on Twitter, and Jackson also replied to that: “The response you have seen from me was taken out of context. This is the first I have heard of any allegations of rape. Please respect my integrity.”

The Long Blondes broke up in 2008 but reissued their debut album last year. They had just played two reunion shows and had more on the horizon, including Green Man Festival, and December dates in band’s hometown of Sheffield at The Leadmill. The Leadmill tweeted, “Our show with The Long Blondes this December has been cancelled.

This story is developing.

https://twitter.com/victoriaclane/status/1557654358833205248

https://twitter.com/KateJacksonLBs/status/1557774791255490560
https://twitter.com/KateJacksonLBs/status/1557776834808479744