Headless Chickens shock the audience and MC at Taite music awards where they are honoured for Stunt Clown album

The ashes of a dead New Zealand musician were scattered on stage during an awards ceremony on Tuesday night, a move being criticised for being culturally inappropriate and insensitive.

The Headless Chickens were presented with a classic record award for their 1987 album Stunt Clown at the Taite music awards, an event livestreamed by many outlets.

While accepting the award the band members scattered a small portion of band member Grant Fell’s ashes onstage, shocking the audience and MC Alex Behan.

Fell died in January of cancer.

“Certainly it was one of the stranger situations I have ever found myself in as an MC,” Behan told Radio New Zealand.

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“Chris Matthews produced a small vial from his pocket ... he sprinkled them on the ground and then they performed a song. I had to get up on stage after the song and introduce the next part of the evening, and I said to the room I am not quite sure what the etiquette is here, I don’t really know what to do. It was a very, very strange moment.”



Jared, son of Tūmatauenga (@Jaredknz) If they’d spoken to ONE Māori person, they’d have known that this is fucking gross and offensive. Headless Chickens loved Grant Fell so much, it was important for him to be part of the awards ceremony.https://t.co/TiqGjrYgfZ

Musician Moana Maniapoto, who was at the event, said she was “horrified”.

“There is no doubt we all love the Headless chickens ... but I find it difficult to believe that anyone could grow up in New Zealand and think it’s OK to do that. Kind of disrespectful to a lot of people in the room.

“They didn’t give anyone else a choice in the matter, that was their thing. Just absolutely bizarre and disrespectful.”

TEEKS (@thisteeks) First time I’m glad I didn’t win an award. Wouldn’t have gotten on stage with those ashes under my feet. Huge congrats to Aldous, still extremely humbled to have been nominated don’t get me wrong, but I was raised in a culture where that shit isn’t ok.

Former band member Rupert E Taylor said it was a “magic” moment to have Fell present with them to accept the award.

“I felt like he was there with us and it was a total magic moment for me. I waved his ashes into my face and all over my workshop suit. It was a surprise and it should happened, he should have been there with us,” Taylor said.

“We all lived together, breathed together, Headless Chickened together, we did everything together, so to have him on the stage tonight was really, really important,” he said.