Say Anything postpone shows as Max Bemis steps back from the band

Say Anything have postponed a series of upcoming acoustic performances, and Max Bemis is stepping back from the band. Pitchfork reported that a statement on the band's Instagram on August 29 said Bemis would take a step back due to the need to prioritise his mental health and personal well-being.

The statement followed a week of accusations. Screenshots of what were described as flirtatious messages between Bemis and two teenage fans were posted to the Say Anything subreddit, and circulated from there.

The band's statement did not address the allegations directly, and Bemis had not publicly responded at the time of reporting. The postponed dates were solo acoustic performances rather than full band shows.

The fallout reached a record that was already finished. Cherry Soda, a ten-track collaborative album between Say Anything and Wavves, had been scheduled for September 18 through I Surrender Records.

Wavves frontman Nathan Williams wrote in a Patreon chat viewed by Pitchfork that on a professional level Bemis was awful, and that he does not want to be associated with him. A statement on the Wavves Instagram was blunter. Williams said he spent 11 months making the record and Bemis spent four days, and apologised to fans.

Williams also claimed he wrote the majority of Cherry Soda and did not rule out re-recording it as a solo album, though he pointed out that 10,000 records have already been pressed. The two announced the album in July with the single "Deathx1k", when Bemis said in a press release that the pair wrote to each other's situations. The rock and indie fallout continued in Wavves scrapping the collaborative album, and it follows a year in which allegations have upended other tours, as in campaigners calling for Thirty Seconds To Mars UK dates to be scrapped.