A BAND was embroiled in an elaborate hoax led by a musician who rocked the music industry by allegedly faking a fanbase to secure a UK tour.

Rob Moore, from Middlesbrough band Dogsflesh, branded Californian singer Jered Threatin “an evil genius” after his Breaking the World tour went viral for all the wrong reasons.

Dogsflesh supported Threatin when the act took to the stage at Trillians in Newcastle in a bizarre gig that saw just four fans turn out for the headliner.

Dogsflesh supported Threatin at Trillians in Newcastle

Threatin’s Trillians appearance was part of a UK tour secured on the back of what promoters and venue owners believed was a thriving fan base. The metal band seemingly boasted legions of social media followers, a signing to a record label and fans across the world.

Venues, including Trillians in Newcastle, liaised with a booking agent and all appeared to be legitimate until the gigs began to happen and nobody showed up.

Night after night, Threatin played on regardless, delivering their take on metal to crowds of up to four people.

Suspicions grew and it eventually transpired that the band was reportedly virtually unknown, had few fans and no management. One support act said that the act’s entire history was a lie.

The strange story quickly went viral and saw the band, in particular singer Jered Threatin, accused of using fake social media profiles to create a fanbase in order to tour the UK.

Threatin pledged to make a statement following outcry over the band's UK tour

Dogsflesh’s singer, Rob Moore, said that he had never experienced anything like it as he recounted a gig that he will never forget.

His band were contacted by someone claiming to be Threatin’s booking agent and invited to support the act for the Newcastle date.

Everything unfolded as expected until the night of the gig, with suspicions arising when the aloof singer refused to interact with other bands and hardly anyone turned out to watch him.

Mr Moore said Dogsflesh fans had exited Trillians prior to Threatin taking to the stage, meaning the band played to four people and staff – a scenario echoed at other venues across the country.

Dogsflesh fans left before Threatin took to the stage

He said that Threatin’s apparent hoax could have serious ramifications for other bands, fearing that venues who had had their “fingers burned” in this instance would not risk booking unknown acts.

The singer and guitarist added: “I don’t have enough expletives to describe how we feel about this.

“In all the years I’ve been playing music, I’ve never come across anything like it.

“I tip my hat to this guy, he’s an evil genius who has used social media to manipulate people and he’s got this down to a fine art.

“He has duped everyone in the music industry, including myself, we were all taken in by him.

“But there are implications and I think what he’s done will really scupper smaller bands moving forward.

“He’s been very clever but I don’t know if he’s completely delusional, whether it’s vanity or whether he just wanted to live out a dream of being a big rock star.”

There has been no response from Threatin in relation to the circumstances surrounding the unusual tour, but in a Tweet posted on Wednesday, it was said that an official statement was imminent.

For more information about Dogsflesh, visit Facebook. The band will perform at Stockton's Don Bar on Friday, November 16.