Brand New’s Jesse Lacey faces fresh grooming allegation ahead of band’s comeback tour

A previously undisclosed grooming allegation has emerged against Brand New frontman Jesse Lacey, ahead of the band’s comeback tour.

Earlier this week, the emo band announced plans for a 24-date trip across North America for this summer, their first sustained run of shows since going on hiatus in 2017.

Brand New withdrew from the public eye after sexual misconduct allegations involving Lacey and a minor went public. Shortly afterwards, two more women came forward with additional allegations.

Lacey responded at the time by offering an apology for “the actions of my past” which he said had “caused pain and harm to a number of people.”

“I want to say that I am absolutely sorry. I do not stand in defense of myself nor do I forgive myself.  I was selfish, narcissistic, and insensitive in my past, and there are a number of people who have had to shoulder the burden of my failures,” he said at the time.

“I apologise for the hurt I have caused, and hope to be able to take the correct actions to earn forgiveness and trust.”

Now, amid news of the band’s re-emergence, another woman has come forward with a previously undisclosed allegation of grooming that she claims began in 2005. In a post on Medium, a woman named Aiyana detailed an alleged pattern of grooming behaviour from Lacey while she was 15 years old.

She claims that Lacey requested her contact information after she gifted him handmade items at a show. Aiyana and her 16-year-old friend were regularly invited onto the band’s tour bus, she alleges, where Lacey became “playful” and “teasing”. During a later confrontation, Lacey is said to have told her: “I don’t hate you, the truth is I’m in love with you, but you’re just not old enough for me to marry you yet.”

NME have contacted Lacey’s representatives for a comment on the new allegations.

She goes on to say that Lacey met with her and her mother to insist they keep the relationship a secret. “You’ve become a close friend, one of my best friends, actually… and although we understand our relationship, others might not without more context,” she says he told her.

Aiyana concludes that she does not believe Brand New should be going ahead with their reunion tour. “To my knowledge, he has yet to name specific behaviors that were problematic – like the grooming, manipulation, and coercion – and he never reached out to the victims to attempt any form of restitution,” she wrote.

Brand New played a trio of shows at the end of March, following on from a secret and intimate reunion show in December.

The upcoming tour has already proved controversial, with some venues on the tour apparently switching off the comments on their social media posts announcing the shows. See the full list of shows here and find any remaining tickets here.

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