SWMRS drummer Joey Armstrong has spoken out about the sexual misconduct claims levied against him this week in a statement on the punk band’s Instagram page. The response addressed accusations made by the Regrettes vocalist-guitarist Lydia Night via the same platform.
On Tuesday (July 21), Night detailed her past relationship with Armstrong, the son of Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong. By her account, starting in 2017, Joey misused a position of power over Night — then just 16 years old — while their groups toured together. She also contended that he coerced her sexually.
The following day, the SWMRS member made a reply that offered support to Night while refuting some of her claims. He also tendered an apology to fellow musician while vowing to alter his behavior in the future.
“I want to address Lydia’s Instagram post about our relationship,” Joey writes. “While I don’t agree with some of the things she said about me, it’s important that she be allowed to say them and that she be supported for speaking out. I respect her immensely and fully accept that I failed her as a partner.”
The SWMRS drummer, now 25, continues, “I was selfish and I didn’t treat her the way she deserves to have been treated. … 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.”
The Regrettes frontwoman’s accusations first surfaced in response to a message supporting sexual abuse survivors that SWMRS shared via their social media outposts on Sunday (July 19). Night called the 800-word letter a “delusional positioning of themselves as woke feminists.”
As the Regrettes bandleader continued in her statement on Tuesday, “It took me years to finally understand that I am a victim of abuse. … I’m still remembering traumatic events from Joey and I’s relationship 3 years later. It hit me hard and took a major toll on my self esteem.”
Around the same time, vocalist Clementine Creevy of the rock band Cherry Glazerr aired accusations of sexual misconduct against Buttertones bassist Sean Redman. In response to the women’s stories, Paramore singer Hayley Williams wrote about a toxic culture of abuse within the music industry.