Australian rockers 5 Seconds of Summer have announced that they are postponing the remainder of their No Shame tour dates across Australia and North America, due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
The band shared their ‘disappointment’ at not being able to go ahead with any of their shows for the rest of the year, in a statement posted to Instagram on Saturday.
The group said that they were prioritising ‘safety,’ and added that they for now, are ‘taking a bit of time off.’
Taking a break: 5SOS announced at the weekend that they have postponed their North American and Australian tour and have revealed that they’re ‘taking time off’
‘Due to government action in certain markets and out of an abundance of caution, the remaining shows this year will no longer be possible,’ the statement read.
‘Playing live shows for our fans is what makes us want to be a band. While we are all disappointed to reschedule these shows, the safety of our fans, touring crew and venue staff takes precedence and we know this is the right decision,’ it continued.
However, they revealed they were able to add extra shows in several locations across Europe, the UK and in Philadelphia in the US next year.
Finally, they thanked fans for their continued support, before revealing they were taking a break.
‘We’re taking a bit of time off and focusing on important things away from the band, but we’ll be back very soon and continue to create music and make preparations for this tour worth the wait,’ they said.
So sad! The band shared their ‘disappointment’ at not being able to go ahead in a statement they posted to Instagram on Saturday
They’ll be back! However, they revealed they were able to add extra shows in several locations across Europe, the UK and in Philadelphia in the US next year
The announcement comes after a teenage 5 Seconds of Summer fan issued a full retraction after she accused the band’s guitarist Michael Clifford of touching her inappropriately at a concert seven years ago.
The girl alleged on June 13 that Michael had touched her ‘chest, arms and sides’ during a show at Tinley Park, Illinois, in 2013.
At the time, 5SOS was touring North America with One Direction as part of the British band’s Take Me Home tour.
Making headlines: The announcement comes after a teenage 5 Seconds of Summer fan issued a full retraction after she accused the band’s guitarist Michael Clifford (pictured) of touching her inappropriately at a concert seven years ago
She made the extraordinary claims via an anonymous Twitter account – but after her allegations went viral, she insisted the 24-year-old musician was totally innocent.
In a lengthy follow-up post, the girl – who was 14 at the time of the alleged incident – clarified that it was simply a case of mistaken identity.
She insisted she had been abused by a man at the concert, but it wasn’t Michael. Her actual abuser has since died, she claimed.
‘He never touched me’: The girl alleged on Twitter on June 13 that Michael had touched her ‘chest, arms and sides’ during a show in Illinois in 2013. In a lengthy follow-up post, she clarified that it was simply a case of mistaken identity
According to the woman, who would now be 21, she spent years convinced that the Australian rock star had been responsible for the assault.
In her since-retracted original statement, she wrote: ‘Michael Clifford… slid into the audience – probably most would assume to enjoy the concert – and violated my safety and privacy.’
Three days later, on July 16, she tweeted that the man who had touched her was not Michael, and that the actual offender ‘is dead’.
‘Today, I found out I’ve been wrong for almost seven years. Today I found out that my offender is dead. My offender is NOT MICHAEL CLIFFORD,’ she wrote.
Michael has categorically denied all accusations of inappropriate conduct, saying they are ‘beyond untrue’.
‘I am heartbroken to read these things that are being said – they are just BEYOND untrue,’ he tweeted on June 15.
‘I am heartbroken’: Michael has categorically denied all accusations of inappropriate conduct, saying they are ‘beyond untrue’. ‘I am heartbroken to read these things that are being said – they are just BEYOND untrue,’ he tweeted on June 15
‘I was never allowed in the crowd I only ever watched at front of house – and I would’ve never EVER done that. I would NEVER do anything like that,’ he added.
In another tweet, Michael commented on a video of the 5SOS band members surrounded by fans in the audience.
‘This is what life was like in 2013. Please understand it would’ve been logistically impossible for me to get through a crowd at a show I just played at! I’m not trying to be defensive I promise this is just so completely false,’ he wrote.
In response to another Twitter user, Michael said of the allegations: ‘I really just don’t know what I can even say. People are asking me to explain but how can I explain something that I was never involved with in the first place?’
‘I truly want to give you what you’re asking from me but what more can I say?’ he added.
Adam Wilkinson, who managed 5SOS at the time of the alleged incidents, jumped to Michael’s defence, tweeting: ‘I can confirm at all times that the band were never allowed into the crowd and were always escorted to front of house by security and/or management including myself.’
‘The band were never allowed into the crowd’: Adam Wilkinson, who managed 5SOS at the time, jumped to Michael’s defence