Band Breaks up, Accuses Guitarist of ‘Heinous Acts’: Read Gel’s Statement

New Jersey hardcore band Gel has broken up mid-tour following what they described as “heinous acts” committed by former guitarist Anthony Webster.

In a statement shared across their since-deactivated social media accounts on Thursday, March 20 just after playing what would become their final show in Tokyo, vocalist Sami Kaiser, bassist Matthew Bobko, guitarist Madison Nave, and drummer Alex Salter confirmed they are “no longer a band” due to the “irreparable damage” Webster caused the group.

“Hey everyone, friends and fans — Gel is no longer a band, and therefore will not be playing any of our currently scheduled upcoming shows,” the statement read, per Consequence. “The reason is pretty simple at its core; the former guitar player, Anthony Webster, has committed such heinous acts in trying to forward himself in his musical career that he’s done irreparable damage to the band in the process, and it’s affected us as human beings more than we can even attempt to explain, to the point of being completely unable to do the band anymore.”

The group went on to explain some of Webster’s wrongdoings, which allegedly included stealing “tens of thousands of dollars from” the band to use “on his own rent, personal food orders, and really whatever else he wanted to.” Gel, who said the guitarist “left it all on record for us to eventually find,” also claimed that Webster “spent it on a truly unbelievable number of OnlyFans purchases and mysterious CashApp transaction.”

The group also accused Webster of posting “nude images of band members on Reddit for the world to see” and putting other band members in “physically dangerous situations numerous times.”

Gel compared its relationship with Webster to that of an abusive relationship and explained that “it’s not so easy to just give something up that you care so much about, especially with pressures from outside organizations, people, etc that are all counting on you in some way. We wish that this could have all been easier, and we wish that it didn’t have to end this way — we’re fighters though, and we saw it through to the very end, until it simply couldn’t go on anymore. And we’re proud of that.”

Formed in 208 by members of the powerviolence band Sick Shit, Gel released several Eps – their 2018 self-titled debut EP, 2021’s Violent Closure, and 2024’s Persona– as well as a full-length album, 2023’s Only Constant. The group had lined up tours with big names like Spiritbox, Anxious, and Volbeat for later this year, as well as sets at both weekends of Coachella next month. However, the group will no longer be performing any of those shows.

In a message to fans, the group sent their “most sincere and deepest apologies to anyone who this is affecting on a personal level and beyond… we are so sorry that we have to end it this way and we truly hope for the best for all of you. Thank you so much to the friends we’ve made over the years, and thank you so much to our fans for always being there for us and showing us how much you care. Take care of each other, and love your friends.”