In an article which ran in Niagara area papers, band member Alex Andrews acknowledged that the name was provocative, and purposefully so. He commented, "There's been bands for 30 years now who have had offensive names. I think the idea of punk is to try and break the taboos, right? To be out there and offensive, so to speak. That's the whole image of punk." The poster itself was designed by a woman, 19 year old Justine Moore. More details on the disagreement over the band's image can be found in the Welland Tribune.
- Home
- Submit News
- Bands
- Streams
- Best New Music
- Interviews
- Tours
- Reviews
- New Releases
- Contact Us
- Login
A punk band from St. Catharines, Ontario has drawn the ire of local activists due to their name and poster art. Sexual Assault, a young five-piece from the city, caught the attention of the Feminist Action Collective with flyers promoting a recent show. The advertisements depict a woman with her legs spread and the band's name written across her lower body. The group has since started a campaign to have the posters removed, with the ultimate goal of convincing the band to change their name.
In an article which ran in Niagara area papers, band member Alex Andrews acknowledged that the name was provocative, and purposefully so. He commented, "There's been bands for 30 years now who have had offensive names. I think the idea of punk is to try and break the taboos, right? To be out there and offensive, so to speak. That's the whole image of punk." The poster itself was designed by a woman, 19 year old Justine Moore. More details on the disagreement over the band's image can be found in the Welland Tribune. News (179 comments)
Please login or register to post comments.What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?
Jelone (joe) (February 6, 2010)
Being an asshole without any solid, meaningful content behind your actions still makes you an asshole. The "punkness" of profiting off of the degradation of women is beside the point, you fucking morons. HEY LET'S START AN INCEST PRO-NAZI BAND TO PISS OFF OUR PARENTS.
Babrook (February 6, 2010)
" I think the idea of punk is to try and break the taboos, right? To be out there and offensive, so to speak. That's the whole image of punk.""
Tom_Delonge (February 6, 2010)
Women are a circular narrative in many ways where they think that they're summing up the human race in a time capsule.
woodandiron (February 6, 2010)
Just because the poster was designed by a woman, doesn't mean it isn't misogynistic.
crackpotdemagogue (February 6, 2010)
idiots. there is nothing punk rock about misogyny parading under the guise of 'breaking taboos'.
cbsrocksteady (February 6, 2010)
I can't believe all of you people. you really give a fuck? I'm not backing him that punk is meant to be offensive, but supporting the action collective seems just as fucking stupid. I played with Retching Red before and one of their posters supporting their tour had a cartoon drawing of a naked woman with the band name stemming from her pelvis surrounded by a pool of blood. So when a female fronted punk band makes a flyer like that, its all good right? One of my bands names is Alleyway Sex. Yeah okay that name is fucking stupid, but it comes from an inside joke that has absolutely nothing to do with women at all. We get shit for this all the time. I really do not give a fuck.
wearestillalive (February 6, 2010)
I wonder what Latterman would think about all of this.
Jeffrocentric (February 6, 2010)
awful, awful music. but the 'influences" column on the myspace page was funny in a poop-joke, 8th grade sort of way.
14theroad (February 6, 2010)
I thought this was about The Sainte Catherines. I was going to be pissed.
rumblefish330 (February 6, 2010)
The name and the band seems sort of stupid but they look like young kids playing to 10 of their younger friends, its really not that big of a deal. If this feminist group want to fight misogyny they should turn their attention towards MTV, BET, or E! television or try the radio and turn on the wacky drive-time dj's on the "Rock" station or just about anything on the local Rap station as opposed to picking on a punk band playing to a few people. Seems like there are plenty of more worthwhile places to direct the anger.
mattramone (February 6, 2010)
Fuck it. I'm going to start a band called Are You Girl Funny or Funny Funny?, dress everyone in the band up like Dick Masterson, do a bunch of Rapeman covers, and burn Kathleen Hanna and Andrea Dworkin in effigy for the big encore.
mattramone (February 6, 2010)
I will say that this is as dumb and awful as all those kill-my-girlfriend/fetishization of dead girls shit Epitaph has made their bread and butter the last several years.
andrewg (February 6, 2010)
In between this article and the one that says "every1 please join this 2 get the dead baby joke group banned from Facebook." I'm beginning to think Welland doesn't have a sense of humour at all.
88fingerstonytherevenge (February 6, 2010)
If you dont like the images, instead of trying to get publicity for this obviously shit band, why dont you tear down the posters and try to have a constructive dialogue with this band of morons.
FuckYeaAlright (February 6, 2010)
I get so offended every time I look at Black Flag's Slip it In cover
ReelBigMike (February 6, 2010)
God, it's just a band name. I swear people everywhere seem to have the selfish and uncanny ability to think that things like this have some kind of actual effect on their lives when they really don't at all. Don't like the band name? Then don't go see them and don't buy there music. It doesn't matter what a band names themselves, it's just words on a flyer. It only bothers you if you choose to let it; which I don't really think is a band's problem.
88fingerstonytherevenge (February 6, 2010)
Also, that some 19 yr old girl drew the poster must mean its ok
lifebystereo (February 6, 2010)
SHOCKING to see how many guys think it's cool to make a mockery out of sexual assault. Maybe because you're more likely to be the ones perpetuating it...
ZachLeg (February 6, 2010)
If it said "Negro Assault" would all of you guys feel differently about this? Would you mock the fact that a group of individuals were deeply offended? Whether its race, gender, or any group, someone was offended by an act of ignorance and insensitivity. I never felt punk was "To be out there and offensive, so to speak. That's the whole image of punk" It's about the acceptance and celebration of others' differences
tubbabutta (February 6, 2010)
Fine, Sam. Why don't we forget about fighting the phallucracy for a while and go have a good time...
zombie-guru (February 6, 2010)
Thank you, Feminist Action Collective. Because you guys bitched about a crappy punk band, there are people outside of St. Catharines who have actually heard about these guys. This is clearly an effective way to punish them
smelltheglove (February 6, 2010)
This band is dumb. The quotes in the story don't address the accusations against them in any real way. They should have said their name and the poster were a commentary of some sort on how the sexuality of women in the media or porn or something is used to fetishize them. Or maybe even how some women use their own sexuality as a weapon. Whatever. Even if people find it offensive, they would be standing for something. Now, they look sexist when they're really just stupid.
RobbyKills (February 6, 2010)
This is what a call "a waste of activist energy". Some small time punk band, with female member(s?) to boot, with a name that, face it, is gender neutral. I reallllllly fucking doubt that the woman who made the poster was attempting to imply a rape joke as everyone seems quick to point out.
peacefulchaos (February 7, 2010)
SEXUAL ASSAULT CONTROVERSY
peacefulchaos (February 7, 2010)
and yes there was no contact with the band at all, the flyer was for the whole show not just an ad for Sexual Assault . there was no attampt to hear the bands side of anything before they went to the media. This whole thing has been pretty biased from the beginning and the only one promoting hate here is them trying to get people to hate the band and to be offended when most people would have never heard or seen anything of it. Again the woman on the poster has nothing to do with the band except that they just happen to be pklaying that show that nite and it would have beenn the same flyer if SA was not playing
14theroad (February 7, 2010)
Butthurt rides again!
publichousing (February 7, 2010)
My aunt Susannah once defaced a billboard in our hometown which was similar to the one described in this story. It was an ad for a real estate company she worked as a cleaner for, and the picture was a women (who looked like she'd just been fucked or something) with her legs spread apart and covering where her vagina would be shown were the words "Space To Rent?". She covered it in something that I can't remember now, but the funny thing of the story is, the next day she was called by the real estate to clean the billboard. When she got down to the location to talk to the boss of the company he asked her if she had time to clean it off because "a bunch of hairy-underarm lesbians" had defaced it.
SexualAssault (February 7, 2010)
There are so many things i would like to say to you comm enters. Your all fucked in the head!
pagestreetproductions (February 7, 2010)
no where on the poster is there any violence whatsoever, since the beginning of this shit show, the band, AND its supporters have said it doesnt in anyway promote violence against women, or anyone for that matter, yet everyone chooses to disregard that fact and think what they want. so fuck you alll.
keithybobeefy (February 7, 2010)
I'm going to start a band called Baby Farts and on all of our posters it will feature old men in various stages of the day.
pagestreetproductions (February 9, 2010)
how about all of these bands?
WarxCore (July 3, 2011)
I know this articles from over a year ago but i just found this and i find it to be utterly disgusting. Recently moving into the Niagara area, i woulda liked to met these fucking morons so i could have personally broken their jaws. I know people that have been sexually assaulted and it wasnt a pleasurable experience to help her through it. It was a hard recovery and she still recovering from it. i've been part of the punk community for a decade and a half, and have seen some extremely offensive show flyers, but displaying a woman violated and shit like that has gone too far. Kids and women walk the streets of this town...use some common fucking sense. |
Previous
Exclusive StreamsSponsored EventsNewest Reviews
Punknews.org TeamManaging EditorAdam WhiteContributing EditorsBryne Yancey Kira Wisniewski Brittany Strummer Andrew Waterfield Armando Olivas John Flynn Chris Moran John GentileCopy EditorAmelia ClinePodcast ProducerNariman ShariatPublisherAubin PaulISSN 1710-5366© Copyright 1999-2013 Punknews.orgTerms of Use Privacy Policy Frequently Asked Questions Contact Us About Punknews.org Other Places to Go |









I never thought punk was about being offensive for being offensive's sake. How is this breaking taboo exactly? By going "Sexual assault LOL"?
The name, combined with that image, is fucking repugnant, if I'm honest. They might have a case if it was just the name, but that poster is... what? Bollocks.