The Faim drop off 5SOS tour following misconduct allegations against guitarist
The Faim will not be joining 5 Seconds Of Summer on their upcoming tour following misconduct allegations against guitarist Michael Bono (pictured second to right).
Earlier this afternoon, the band announced their decision of dropping out of the tour following allegations of misconduct made against their guitarist. They were slated to open for 5SOS on their upcoming Australian and New Zealand dates.
The first tweet that was posted by the band read: “due to unforeseen circumstances, the Faim are no longer able to join the 5 Seconds Of Summer tour.”
Due to unforeseen circumstances, The Faim are no longer able to join the 5 Seconds of Summer tour.
— THE F A I M (@TheFaim) August 2, 2018
After posting the first statement on Twitter, the band further addressed the reasoning behind their decision of leaving the tour, which, discussed the allegations against Bono.
You can read the band’s statement in full below:
“We have been made aware of an allegation against our guitarist Michael Bono during the time of our previous band, Small Town Heroes. Now, more than ever, we feel it’s important for any individual who feels they have been emotionally affected by a situation, to not only speak up, but to be heard.
Michael is taking the allegation made against him incredibly seriously and we have mutually decided that he will not be taking part in any upcoming activity involving The Faim. Instead, he will be taking the time to address this matter privately.
As this does not involve the other members of The Faim, we will continue to fulfil our respective touring commitments. Thank you to our amazing fans for standing by us during this time. We look forward to seeing you all soon.”
— THE F A I M (@TheFaim) August 2, 2018
Following the statement made by the band’s official Twitter account, Bono shared a statement addressing the allegations directly:
“I have recently become aware of allegations made against me on social media. These allegations are untrue. It is extremely upsetting to me that the allegations have been made at all.
I categorically deny the substance of the allegations.
I have taken my time in publishing this statement as I am taking the allegations extremely seriously.
Context is everything. The truth of the situation will come to light in due course, but it must be handled in an appropriate way, which is privately and not via social media.
I cannot begin to describe the negative impact of the false allegations on not only myself but also on my band members and all their families. I do not want the allegations affecting the band in any way. It is a situation that relates to me alone and one that I must personally handle.
I have therefore decided to step aside from my role in The Faim until this matter is resolved.
I thank my family and supporters for standing by me and I ask that my privacy is respected at this time.
Mike”
— Michael Bono (@mikey_thefaim) August 2, 2018
