Big Church Festival, a three-day Christian music festival in West Sussex, England, announced on Thursday (July 3) that Newsboys had been removed from its lineup.
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of sexual assault allegations that some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
On Jan. 16, Tait abruptly announced that he was leaving Newsboys, for whom he was the lead singer. Since then, he has been accused of grooming, sexually assaulting, and drugging young men—including minors—as well as of watching a young woman be raped in 2014.
These reports have made many wonder how aware management was of Tait’s misconduct, as some of the survivors are alleging that the “Jesus Freak” singer assaulted them while on tour.
“Many of you may have heard the recent, deeply troubling news involving the former lead singer of the Newsboys,” a post on Big Church Festival’s Facebook page read. “Our hearts go out to everyone who’s been hurt, whether recently or in the past, and we deeply respect the courage it takes to speak out in such a painful time.”
RELATED: Michael Tait Accused of Watching Sexual Assault of a Young Woman He Drugged
The festival informed followers that “after thoughtful conversations with the Newsboys team, we’ve decided they won’t be part of this year’s Big Church Festival.” The festival acknowledged that the news might be “disappointing” to some but shared that “Pat Barrett will now be joining us on the Main stage on…Saturday.”
One person who will be attending this year’s festival said, “It’s such a pity. I was so looking forward to seeing them at Big Church again.” However, the commenter continued, “I understand why the decision was made and I hope and pray Adam Agee and the guys hold on to their hope and belief that this is temporary and not the end of the Newsboys 🙏.”
Another wrote, “Well done for taking what must be a tough but right decision.” Someone else said, “Tough decision, but understandable.”
Others asked why the entire band is being punished for Tait’s actions. “What I don’t get is,” one person wrote, “he isn’t with the band anymore and hasn’t been for a while so why are they all being punished?” Similarly, someone else said, “It is a shame as the rest of the band wasn’t guilty but I fully agree. To keep the name of the group going, after what he has been doing, is a slap to the victims. Hopefully the rest of the band/group, will be able to do something else in the future.”
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