Photo: Press
Chvrches frontwoman Lauren Mayberry has hit back at threats she received online, which includes sexist messages and even rape threats.
Writing a blog for The Guardian, Mayberry revealed how she posted a screengrab of a Facebook message from someone requesting to take her out to dinner so they could 'make superior love'.
Among the responses were the following messages, which Mayberry describes as 'offensively vile':
"This isn't rape culture. You'll know rape culture when I'm raping you, bitch"
"I have your address and I will come round to your house and give u anal and you will love it you twat lol"
"Act like a slut, getting treated like a sluy [sic]"
"It's just one of those things you'll need to learn to deal with. If you're easily offended, then maybe the music industry isn't for you"
Mayberry responded to the flurry of messages by writing: "But why should women 'deal' with this? I am incredibly lucky to be doing the job I am doing at the moment – and painfully aware of the fact that I would not be able to make music for a living without people on the internet caring about our band. But does that mean that I need to accept that it's OK for people to make comments like this, because that's how women in my position are spoken to? I absolutely accept that in this industry there is comment and criticism."
She continued: "There will always be bad reviews: such is the nature of a free press and free speech. When you put your work out there, you are accepting the fact that people will comment on it, but it is your choice whether you read it or not.
"What I do not accept, however, is that it is all right for people to make comments ranging from "a bit sexist but generally harmless" to openly sexually aggressive. That it is something that "just happens". Is the casual objectification of women so commonplace that we should all just suck it up, roll over and accept defeat? I hope not. Objectification, whatever its form, is not something anyone should have to "just deal with".
Chvrches released their hugely critically-acclaimed debut, The Bones Of What You Believe last week. The Scottish electro-pop rockers have unveiled dates for next year:
05 MAR 2014 - Academy, Dublin, Ireland
07 MAR 2014 - Academy, Newcastle , United Kingdom
08 MAR 2014 - Barrowland, Glasgow, United Kingdom
09 MAR 2014 - Met Uni, Leeds, United Kingdom
10 MAR 2014 - Institute, Birmingham, United Kingdom
12 MAR 2014 - Junction, Cambridge, United Kingdom
13 MAR 2014 - Uni Solus, Cardiff, United Kingdom
14 MAR 2014 - Forum, London, United Kingdom
17 MAR 2014 - Trianon, Paris, France
18 MAR 2014 - Trixi, Antwerp, Belgium
19 MAR 2014 - Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands
21 MAR 2014 - Batschkapp, Frankfurt, Germany
22 MAR 2014 - Komplex Klub, Zurich, Switzerland
24 MAR 2014 - Muffathalle, Munich, Germany
25 MAR 2014 - Astra, Berlin, Germany
Tickets are on sale now. For more information visit Gigwise gig tickets.
