Win Butler: who is Arcade Fire frontman, what are abuse allegations, what has he said - will band still tour?

Musician Win Butler, who is a singer and songwriter, has been accused of sexual misconduct.

The Arcade Fire frontman, aged 42, allegedly behaved inappropriately with four people between 2016 and 2020.

Butler has denied the allegations and his wife, and fellow bandmate, Régine Chassagne has also said she supports him and will stand by him.

The allegations have come at a time when the indie rock band are embarking on a UK and European tour. The band are still touring, but their support act Feist has pulled out.

So, who is Win Butler, what exactly are the allegations against him, what has he said about the allegations and will Arcade Fire continue with their tour?

Here’s everything you need to know.

Who is Win Butler?

Win Butler, whose full name is Edwin Farnham Butler III,  is an American-Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, and multi-instrumentalist.

He is one of the co-founders of Montreal-based indie rock band Arcade Fire.

He was born on 14 April 1980, which means he is now 42 years old.

Butler is married to fellow Arcade Fire founding member Régine Chassagne and the couple share a son, Edwin Farnham Butler IV, who was born on 21 April 2013.

Butler also works as a DJ using the stage name Windows 98. He has even been known to open an Arcade Fire show himself under his DJ name.

What has Win Butler been accused of?

On Saturday 27 August, an investigation by American publication Pitchfork revealed four people aged between 18 and 23 had accused the musician of behaving inappropriately.

The allegations ranged from sexual assault to unsolicited sexual text messages and forceful touching.

Three women made allegations of sexual interactions with Butler that they came to feel were inappropriate given their gaps in age, power dynamics, and context.

All three women said they were Arcade Fire fans between the ages of 18 and 23 and that their interactions with Butler took place during overlapping periods from 2016 to 2020.

These interactions allegedly occurred when Butler was between the ages of 36 and 39.

A fourth person, who is gender-fluid and uses they/them pronouns, claims that Butler sexually assaulted them twice in 2015, when they were 21 and he was 34.

One person, who spoke to Pitchfork under the pseudonym Lily and uses they/them pronouns, said they met the musician at a concert in 2015.

After the gig, Butler allegedly touched and kissed them in a car, without consent. On another occasion, Lily claimed that, after opening their front door to Butler, "he pinned me up against the wall and was aggressively grabbing my body and sticking his tongue down my throat".

Butler said he had touched Lily’s thigh in the car and that the second interaction was "definitely mutual".

A woman who was speaking under the pseudonym Stella said she started exchanging messages with Butler in 2016, when she was 18 and he was 36, and that she met him for a drink.

She said the singer later began "repeatedly sending her explicit texts without her consent or reciprocation" and she told him they were not wanted.

The singer acknowledged the sexting but said he did not realise the messages were not wanted. He said he did not recognise the significance of the age gap at the time but could now see "how it could be overwhelming".

What has Win Butler said about the allegations?

Butler claims all contact with the accusers was consensual, and denies all allegations of misconduct.

In his first written statement to Pitchfork, which addressed the allegations against him, Butler acknowledged having sexual interactions with each of the four people, but maintained that they were consensual, and not initiated by him.

Butler also offered to put Pitchfork in contact with different women who had consensual sexual experiences with him in the past.

A written statement was also given to the publication from Butler’s wife Chassagne in support of her husband’s perspective, which ends, “He has lost his way, and he has found his way back.”

In a second statement provided to Pitchfork, Butler addresses the allegations against him again and apologises multiple times.

The statement reads: “While these relationships were all consensual, I am very sorry to anyone who I have hurt with my behaviour.

“As I look to the future, I am continuing to learn from my mistakes and working hard to become a better person, someone my son can be proud of.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t more aware and tuned in to the effect I have on people - I fucked up, and while not an excuse, I will continue to look forward and heal what can be healed, and learn from past experiences.”

What is Win Butler’s full statement?

The full statement from Win Butler reads: “I love Régine with all of my heart. We have been together for twenty years, she is my partner in music and in life, my soulmate and I am lucky and grateful to have her by my side.

“But at times, it has been difficult to balance being the father, husband, and bandmate that I want to be. Today I want to clear the air about my life, poor judgement, and mistakes I have made.

“I have had consensual relationships outside of my marriage. There is no easy way to say this, and the hardest thing I have ever done is having to share this with my son.

“The majority of these relationships were short lived, and my wife is aware – our marriage has, in the past, been more unconventional than some. I have connected with people in person, at shows, and through social media, and I have shared messages of which I am not proud.

“Most importantly, every single one of these interactions has been mutual and always between consenting adults. It is deeply revisionist, and frankly just wrong, for anyone to suggest otherwise.

“I have never touched a woman against her will, and any implication that I have is simply false. I vehemently deny any suggestion that I forced myself on a woman or demanded sexual favors. That simply, and unequivocally, never happened.

“While these relationships were all consensual, I am very sorry to anyone who I have hurt with my behaviour. Life is filled with tremendous pain and error, and I never want to be part of causing someone else’s pain.

I have long struggled with mental health issues and the ghosts of childhood abuse. In my 30s, I started drinking as I dealt with the heaviest depression of my life after our family experienced a miscarriage.

“None of this is intended to excuse my behaviour, but I do want to give some context and share what was happening in my life around this time. I no longer recognized myself or the person I had become.

“Régine waited patiently watching me suffer and tried to help me as best as she could. I know it must have been so hard for her to watch the person she loved so lost.

“I have been working hard on myself – not out of fear or shame, but because I am a human being who wants to improve despite my flaws and damage. I’ve spent the last few years since Covid hit trying to save that part of my soul.

“I have put significant time and energy into therapy and healing, including attending AA. I am more aware now of how my public persona can distort relationships even if a situation feels friendly and positive to me.

“I am very grateful to Régine, my family, my dear friends, and my therapist, who have helped me back from the abyss that I felt certain at times would consume me. The bond I share with my bandmates and the incredibly deep connection I’ve made with an audience through sharing music has literally saved my life.

“As I look to the future, I am continuing to learn from my mistakes and working hard to become a better person, someone my son can be proud of. I say to you all my friends, family, to anyone I have hurt and to the people who love my music and are shocked and disappointed by this report: I’m sorry.

“I’m sorry for the pain I caused - I’m sorry I wasn’t more aware and tuned in to the effect I have on people - I fucked up, and while not an excuse, I will continue to look forward and heal what can be healed, and learn from past experiences. I can do better and I will do better.”

What is Régine Chassagne’s full statement?

Régine Chassagne’s full statement reads: “Win is my soulmate, my songwriting partner, my husband, the father of my beautiful boy.

“He has been my partner in life and in music for 20 years. And for all of the love in our lives, I have also watched him suffer through immense pain.

“I have stood by him because I know he is a good man who cares about this world, our band, his fans, friends, and our family. I’ve known Win since before we were “famous,” when we were just ordinary college students.

“I know what is in his heart, and I know he has never, and would never, touch a woman without her consent and I am certain he never did.

“He has lost his way and he has found his way back. I love him and love the life we have created together.”

Will Arcade Fire still continue with their tour?

Arcade Fire began their UK and European tour on Tuesday 30 August, just days after the allegations came to light.

The band performed at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, where the show went ahead as planned and no reference to the allegations were made.

The band are set to continue their tour with a second show at Dublin’s 3Arena this evening (31 August), before moving on to Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and London in September, and then going on to perform at various venues across Europe from late September to early December.

At the time of writing, all tour dates were still scheduled to go ahead as planned.

Why has Fiest said?

The Canadian singer-songwriter Leslie Feist, known mononymously as Feist, has announced she will leave a tour with Arcade Fire following the allegations.

Feist, aged 46, wrote in a long statement on social media accounts to explain her decision.

She said: ““At a pub in Dublin, after rehearsing with my band, I read the same headline you did. We didn’t have any time to prepare for what was coming let alone a chance to decide not to fly across the ocean into the belly of this situation.

“This has been incredibly difficult for me and I can only imagine how much more difficult it’s been for the people who came forward. More than anything I wish healing to those involved.”

She added that the Pitchfork article “ignited a conversation that is bigger than me, it’s bigger than my songs and it’s certainly bigger than any rock and roll tour”.

She said: “To stay on tour would symbolise I was either defending or ignoring the harm caused by Win Butler and to leave would imply I was the judge and jury.”

She added that she “was never here to stand for or with Arcade Fire – I was here to stand on my own two feet on a stage, a place I’ve grown to feel I belong and I’ve earned as my own.

She said: “There isn’t a singular path to heal when you’ve endured any version of the above, nor a singular path to rehabilitate the perpetrators,” she said. “It can be a lonely road to make sense of ill treatment. I can’t solve that by quitting, and I can’t solve it by staying. But I can’t continue.”

How have music fans reacted?

Some music fans have called on those with tickets to Arcade Fire’s tour to boycott the gigs.

Many have also taken to social media to express shock that the tour is still going ahead.

Commentators on social media also urged fans to not attend upcoming concerts in Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and other countries across the world.