The Orwells have broken up after three members of the Chicago band faced widespread allegations of sexual abuse.

Last weekend, a Reddit post detailed a series of disturbing allegations against lead singer Mario Cuomo, drummer Henry Brinner and bassist Grant Brinner.

Now, the band have posted a message to their Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts that reads: “The Orwells have disbanded.” NME has contacted representatives for the band for further comment.

The Orwells have disbanded — The Orwells (@TheOrwells) August 29, 2018


In a statement released yesterday (August 28), they responded to definitively deny the accusations. “We emphatically deny these baseless allegations brought as a personal attack against us,” the group confirmed in a statement.

“While callow altercations and vulgar language we’ve used in the past must be recognized and owned up to, the accusations of sexual assault are completely unfounded.”

They added: “No member of this band has ever acted without consent or maliciously taken advantage of anyone. We encourage anyone who’s been affected by sexual abuse to speak up and make their abusers known; however we also encourage everyone to be cautious of the things they read and say on the Internet.

“No victim of abuse should be hesitant to make their voice heard and if someone does feel that we’ve hurt them, we encourage them to contact us properly and privately (not via social media or anonymously), as to respect their identity.”


The group have also cancelled a planned show in Chicago this November.

“Out of respect to our friends at the Metro we will be cancelling our November show,” they added. “All ticket buyers will be refunded immediately.”