Rock band Brand New postponed several upcoming concerts in Europe this week after lead singer Jesse Lacey apologized Saturday for previous incidents of alleged sexual misconduct.
In a lengthy Facebook message posted to the band’s account, Lacey apologized for causing “pain and harm to a number of people” in the past.
“Early on in my life, I developed a dependent and addictive relationship with sex. I was scared of it, ashamed, and unwilling or unable to admit it, and so it grew into a consistent and terrible problem,” Lacey wrote. “Years ago, after admitting my habits and cheating to my then soon to be wife, I began to approach my problem in a serious way. I entered professional treatment, both in group therapy and individual counseling, and revealed the realities of what a terrible place I had gotten to in my life, and what a terrible impact my actions had on people.”
Lacey, now 39, was accused last week of sexual misconduct by a woman who claimed that the singer asked her for nude photos, exposed himself over Skype, and masturbated in front of her over webcam in 2002, when she was 15 years old and he was 24.
“It f*cked me up to the point that I STILL have nightmares and wakeup in a sweat,” the woman wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post captured by Alternate Press. “I still breakdown and have panic attacks when people play Brand New in a bar. JESSE LACEY IS A PIECE OF SH*T.”
In a statement on its page Wednesday, the band wrote that its three upcoming concerts in the United Kingdom and Ireland would be postponed, and refunds would be available at point of purchase.
Brand New was an influential band in the early 2000s alternative rock scene. Its latest album, Science Fiction — released in August — became the band’s first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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