The publishers and the drummer cautiously distance themselves from singer Rammstein | Me too

Just over a week before Rammstein’s scheduled concert in Lisbon, German heavy metal has suspended all promotional activities related to the group whose lead singer is being formally investigated over allegations of sexual assault. In addition to parting ways with Universal, and with the singer’s literary publisher, the drummer is also Du hastChristoph Schneider confirmed that the band was “deeply shaken” and that singer Till Lindemann had recently “dissociated himself” from the band – who continue to perform to this day.

Several women accuse Till Lindemann of hatching a scheme to select them from his concert audience and allegedly drug them into trying to have sex. None of the women accuse him of rape, but of sexual assault and/or suspected drug use to reduce his ability to react.

Universal says the allegations against Till Lindemann “shocked” the publisher, who says it has “deep respect for the women who have spoken out so bravely on this issue.” The impact of this decision on the current tour, which will take place on the 26th at the Estádio da Luz, in Lisbon, appears to be null for the time being, with the band remaining on the road. In fact, on the 14th, they performed in Slovakia and this Saturday they took the stage in Bern, Switzerland. At the door of the concert hall, a protest by the Swiss socialist youth and feminist groupings held posters reading “No theater for aggressors” in free translation.

The controversy had already erupted in the German press when Rammstein performed in Munich for two consecutive nights. German daily report headline Suddeutsche Zeitung And he said it all:Als were nichts gewesen“,” As if nothing had happened.

Petitions are still pending Connected Thousands of people have already signed up asking to suspend the concerts, on July 15 and 16, at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin – it is a public administration space. Concerts are sold out. It was the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office that decided to open an investigation into the allegations against the Rammstein singer, which he says, through his lawyer, “are without exception false”.

This Saturday, Germany’s Focus magazine reported that not only is Rammstein’s latest album at the top of the charts, but their previous works are beginning to climb the charts.

On Friday, drummer Rammstein became the first member of the band to speak out individually about the allegations. Christophe Schneider says he is “in shock” and that he does not believe anything “criminally relevant (such as the use of sedative drops) has occurred”, and says he has never seen any behavior of this kind between the team and group members. However, things seem to have happened, although legally it’s OK, I personally don’t think it’s OK. Some structures crossed the boundaries and values ​​of other band members. It’s important that Till’s concerts are not to be confused with our official ones yet. concert”.

It was then, through a German-language statement on social media, that the drummer said that the vocalist had distanced himself from the band in recent years and “created his own bubble with its people, parties and projects”. Regarding the women who complain, he regrets how they may feel, but maintains that in the backstage areas of the group, everyone has the right to leave at any time. “The bottles are sealed and opened in full view of the guests or opened by the guests themselves.” The statement ends with words of sympathy for the first complainant and an assurance that the band – “the six of us” – are together.

complaints against even

Over the past two weeks, complaints against 60-year-old Till Lindemann, one of the most well-known figures in the metal industry and stadium rock worldwide, have escalated. It all started with the voice of Shelby Lane, a 24-year-old Irish woman who attended the first concert of Rammstein’s current tour in Vilnius, Lithuania, on May 23. On social media, she stated that she was chosen to be at a party after the concert and that during the same concert Lindemann attempted to force sexual intercourse. Faced with Lynn’s refusal and resistance, she says Lindemann responded with violence.

Lin filed a complaint with the Lithuanian police, but her accusation was not pursued. He later told the BBC that he suspected his drink had been drugged and that intercourse had not taken place. He claims to have suffered bruising and amnesia.

Subsequently, many other women, either through social media or in the German press, came forward to share similar stories – such as that of a woman identified as Kaya R. Suddeutsche Zeitung Waking up at an after-concert party in a hotel room with Lindemann above her without knowing how she got there, nor giving her consent to any intimate contact with the singer. The situation allegedly took place in Vienna in 2019, and according to the complainant, Lindemann asked her if she wanted him to stop and then left the room.

In the reports of the various women, a pattern emerges in the selection of women who receive invitations, with a woman whose Instagram profile identifies her as Alena Makeeva, “Director on Tour with Till Lindemann,” for so-called “Queue Zero,” a featured front row at concerts. , and then access to the singer’s parties.The German press collected testimonies of this kind of selection specifically for a possible sexual relationship with the singer, and in some cases the suspicion of using chemicals without the knowledge of the spectators that made them less reactive.

The context in which these complaints arose appears to be known to many people in the sector – Innes Hohnadel, director of Riggerwerk, a company of live performance technicians, says these practices were an “open secret” and also speaks of a so-called “zero queue”, Plus a room under the stage called “sSorry room” by The Road -“suckingmeans “suck” in English.

Meanwhile, the publisher Kiepenheuer & Witsch, which publishes his literary works, has severed relations with Till Lindemann. In the recent past, namely in 2020, Lindemann published a poem in the same German publishing house in which he wrote about the pleasure of having sex with a sleeping person, referring to the use of Rohypnol, a sedative known to have been used as a remedy. A way to disable people from sexually assaulting them. At the time, the publisher defended its right to artistic expression. Now, the situation was different, and the company even cites a pornographic video in which sexual violence is celebrated and poetry used by the publisher is used.

Rammstein has already performed several times in Portugal, from incendiary concerts in the room then called Paradise Garage, in Lisbon, and at the Hard Club, in Vila Nova de Gaia, in 1998, passing through shows under their own name at Pavilhão Atlântico, in Lisbon in 2013 Or on the Villar de Moros Festival poster in 2002.