Hookworms split as frontman Matthew Johnson denies sexual abuse allegations

Rock group said they could no longer continue as a band after their frontman was accused of emotional and sexual abuse

Hookworms frontman Matthew Johnson (second from left) has denied allegations of sexual assault, while the rest of the band have announced that the group has split (Hollie Fernando)

Rock band Hookworms have split following allegations of abuse that were made against their singer, Matthew "MJ" Johnson, which he strongly denies.

The Leeds-based group posted a statement on their Twitter account which announced all upcoming shows had been cancelled and they "can no longer continue as a band".

"We're deeply shocked by the allegations that came to light yesterday regarding MJ, and take them very seriously," the band wrote. According to the statement, "other members of Hookworms, their collaborators, various agents, and record labels had no prior knowledge of the allegation before it went public yesterday, and are still coming to terms with the news".

The allegations were made on 30 October by Alanna McCardle, ex-frontwoman of Joanna Gruesome and current singer of Ex-Void. In a note posted on Twitter, McCardle, who said that she used to date Johnson, claimed she was contacted by a woman identified only as "L", who was reportedly involved with Johnson in 2016.

McCardle claimed that "L" told her she suffered "horrific abuse", including sexual assault, from Johnson. She alleged that in the two years following his and L's relationship he had "pursued an emotionally abusive love-bombing campaign towards L in an attempt to reframe his actions".

Hookworms released three critically acclaimed albums, including two via independent UK label Domino. Johnson had previously been openly critical of musicians accused of abuse, which McCardle claimed as motivation for sharing L's allegations.

Johnson shared his own statement following news that the band had split, where he denied all of the allegations.

"To be clear, I deny, and will always deny, the allegations that were posted [yesterday]," he wrote. He claimed he and L were both "unhappy with parts of our short relationship" and said she "pressured" him into categorising his behaviour as "abusive" to help her come to terms with historic sexual abuse "that occurred prior to us knowing each other".

"I regret now accepting any blame," he said. "I felt pressured into disbelieving myself and also believed I was helping her. I offered her support in other ways so to read what she has told someone else about me is confusing and upsetting. More importantly, the picture and image painted of me yesterday is untrue."

Domino Records has not yet commented on the allegations or the band's split.