SWMRS’ drummer Joey Armstrong has responded to claims of sexual misconduct and coercion alleged by the Regrettes’ Lydia Night.
Armstrong’s statement was posted on SWMRS’ official Instagram page, although it was addressed from just Armstrong: “I want to address Lydia’s Instagram post about our relationship. While I don’t agree with some of the things she said about me, it’s important she be allowed to say them and that she be supported for speaking out,” he wrote. “I respect her immensely and fully accept that I failed her as a partner. I was selfish and I didn’t treat her the way she deserves to have been treated both during our relationship and in the two years since we broke up. I have apologized to her privately and I hope she can forgive me, if and when she is ready to do so. I own my mistakes and will work hard to regain the trust that I lost.”
Night posted a lengthy statement of her own on Monday following several days of young artists and fans accusing various Burger Records artists of assault and harassment. Night pointed out the “hypocrisy” of SWMRS’ own statement in support of the victims coming forward with their stories, which they posted earlier this week. Night then detailed her relationship with Armstrong — whose dad is Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong — that occurred entirely while she was underage, beginning when she was 16 and he was 22.
Night’s accusations included several instances of coercion into sexual activities at a pace she was not comfortable with and the enforcement of secrecy when it came to her family and friends, although the rest of SWMRS were well aware of their relationship. Following her relationship, Night says she has suffered from residual sexual trauma and harassment from SWMRS fans egged on by Armstrong’s bandmates.
She added that she has spoken to Armstrong and SWMRS’ lead singer Cole Becker in the time since, noting that her talks with Becker seemed “constructive.” She also received a handwritten note from Armstrong that “was nice but didn’t address any of the abuse, my age, his position of power, or anything sexual at all.”
“My goal here isn’t to ‘cancel’ anyone but to further the conversation of the intricacies of power abuse, grooming, and manipulation that not only exists in the music industry but in so many other industries,” Night wrote. “I recognize that my privilege as a white woman with a platform that amplifies this statement.”
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