Hookworms announce split following abuse allegations against frontman MJ

Hookworms

The Leeds-based outfit are disbanding.

Hookworms have announced their split as singer MJ – real name Matthew Johnson – denies abuse allegations made against him by a former partner, anonymously called L.

On Tuesday (30 October), allegations of sexual, physical and emotional abuse against Johnson emerged on Twitter. Ex-girlfriend Alanna McArdle shared a post in which she details how a former partner of Johnson’s, identified as L, reached out to her to share her experiences of “horrific abuse she suffered from Matt during the time they were involved.”

“L is a survivor of sexual and physical abuse, something she made Matt aware of,” McArdle writes. “Over the course of numerous interactions he made jokes about the specific details of L’s past experience, joking about raping her, mutilating her body, and punching her in the face. He sexually assaulted her, triggering her PTSD, and at the time remained unapologetic for his actions.”

Hookworms have now cancelled their upcoming shows and, in a public post, confirm they “can no longer continue as a band”. In their statement, the group state that they “had no prior knowledge of the allegation before it went public” and are “still coming to terms with the news”. They ask fans and the public to “be respectful of the fact that this is a matter for MJ as an individual, external to the band”.

Johnson has since followed up with a statement saying he “always will deny” the allegations. He said, “I understood that L and I were both unhappy with parts of our short relationship”.

“She asked me to characterise some of my actions towards her as abusive to assist her, she said, with her ongoing recovery from historic sexual abuse that occurred prior to us knowing each other. I regret now accepting any blame.” He adds, “The image presented by Alanna’s statement yesterday is not one I recognise and is untrue.”

This year, Hookworms released their fourth studio album Microshift. They were due to head on a UK tour this month.