Hard Life frontman Murray Matravers has responded to “shocking” accusations of misconduct, and strongly denied any wrongdoing.

The statement was made by the singer on Instagram, and comes following allegations against him being made on Reddit last week. According to the Reddit post, a fan is accusing the singer of acting inappropriately and having “crossed boundaries” with her six years ago, when she was 16 and he was 23.

She claims that he had “taken advantage of” her due to her “admiration” for him, and repeatedly tried to kiss her while drunk. “[He] kept leaning in to kiss me and I physically had to dodge him multiple times,” she wrote.

In his response to the accusations, Matravers has said that he was caught off guard by the claims and that he strongly denies any wrongdoing.

“Over the years, we’ve been really aware of the fact that our band has been a source of solace and community to lots of people,” he began. “We’ve always ensured that we’ve been really accessible to fans who have wanted or needed that from us. I have never viewed myself as a celebrity and have always been incredibly close with our fanbase and treated them more like friends.”

He continued by saying that it “saddens me” that the bond he has with fans has “led to an erroneous story”, adding that the claims are something he “refute[s] vehemently”.

“There’s never been an ‘us-and-them’ mentality between the band and our fanbase, so over the years a lot of fans have been invited to join us at soundchecks or out and about – these people have meant a lot to us,” he added. “But I can honestly say hand-on-heart that I have never crossed a boundary or abused my position.”

He added that the photos intended to act as “proof” only show him taking “selfies with a fan”, and that he was always “surrounded by my band”, manager and crew during the tour.

“Throughout my career, I have been through many ups and downs but have never had to deal with anything that questions my character,” he shared. “l’ve always put enormous value on the relationships in my life, be that with my long-term partner at the time, with my bandmates past and present, and with the fans.

“I hope you can hear that in my songs, and I believe there are thousands of people who can testify that about my character, given the nature of how many people you get to meet when you’re in a band. I’ve met so many of you and you know who I am.”

He concluded, once again denying the claims: “These last few days have been shocking and upsetting but l hold no ill will towards the person involved. I want only to clear my name of any misconduct and wholeheartedly deny this accusation.” Find the Reddit post he refers to below.

The accusations come as the band are set to release their new album ‘Onion’ this month. According to a report from Far Out, there have been some cancelled sales and emails have been sent to fans from suppliers, saying that all physical copies have been temporarily recalled by the label.

Allegations surfacing about band member Murray Matravers
byu/motorwayhead ineasylife

The digital release is still slated for July 18, and while no reason has been given for the recalled physical copies, some suspect it may be connected to recent allegations against the singer.

Last year the band, formerly known as Easy Life, were at the heart of another controversy, when they entered a legal battle with the Easy Jet airline, with the latter accusing them of “deciding to use our brand, easyLife without permission.”

The band ultimately conceded defeat in a legal battle over the moniker, and easyGroup labelled the band as “brand thieves”. Easy Life played their final show under that name, as they did not have “the funds to access a fair trial in the High Court”, and changed it to ‘Hard Life’.