WHAT THEY SAID
“We’re a hardcore band. We do hardcore things.”* End It vocalist Akil Godsey broke his silence on June 23 after weeks of backlash over directing a Toronto crowd to strip a fan’s banana costume off him at a June 5 show.‡
THE DETAILS
- Godsey called the banana-costumed attendee to the front during the final night of End It’s tour with Terror, Pain Of Truth, and Start Today, then offered the setlist to anyone who would remove the costume.‡ The fan later claimed he was an unwilling participant who was attacked.‡
- The Baltimore hardcore band deactivated their social media and withdrew from a scheduled summer tour after the incident.§ Godsey says he received racism and death threats.‡
- In his Instagram video response, Godsey pointed to his song “Give Up” — which instructs people to walk into the woods and commit suicide — as evidence critics weren’t paying attention to what End It actually does.‡
- Thursday’s Geoff Rickly, former Jesus Piece frontman Aaron Heard, Nothing, and Nails all posted supportive comments on Godsey’s video.‡
WHO IS RIGHT
Banana Man is right. A paying fan who shows up in costume to have fun shouldn’t have the crowd turned on him and his outfit torn off on command — “hardcore things” doesn’t make targeting one of your own attendees okay, and pointing to an even uglier song as a defense only proves the critics’ point rather than answering it.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
End It pulled out of their summer tour, and whether they return or Godsey makes good on his threat to just go back to work remains an open question.§