Rock Band Breaks up After 13 Albums
Anti-Flag just released their 13th album this year and were on tour when they disbanded.
Longtime punk rock band Anti-Flag has broken up, with mystery surrounding the reason why. The band has offered no specifics as to what led to the breakup; all their social media pages have been deleted. Before the split, the group recorded 13 studio albums and toured for decades.
On the Anti-Flag Patreon, one of the members wrote a message to fans, stating, "Anti-FIag has disbanded. The Patreon has been switched into a mode where it will no longer charge the monthly fee. I will begin to process refunds to all patrons in the coming weeks. Once all refunds are processed the Patreon page will also be removed." The breakup is certainly a shock to fans, as it came without warning after the band just released their 13th album, Lies They Tell Our Children, earlier this year. Stereogum noted that the band had been on tour and was set to open for Boston punk legends Dropkick Murphys in Prague this week. Pitchfork added that a rep for the band declined to comment on the situation.
Anti-Flag was originally formed by vocalist/guitarist Justin Sane and drummer Pat Thetic in 1988. They went through a number of guitars and bassists before eventually being joined by Chris Head (rhythm guitar) and Chris "No. 2" Barker (bass). The band's debut album, Die For The Government, was a massive success in the underground punk scene and led to more opportunities for touring. They would go on to have four albums break the Billboard Top 200: The Terror State (2003), For Blood and Empire (2006), The Bright Lights of America (2008), and The People or the Gun (2009).
Always somewhat controversial in many circles, Anti-Flag's lyrics focused on left-wing political ideology and socially conscious activism. In the artwork for their 1999 release A New Kind of Army, Anti-Flag explained: "Anti-Flag does not mean Anti-American. Anti-Flag means anti-war. Anti-Flag means the common people of the world are better off living in unity and peace. Anti-Flag means to stand against corporate greed that hurts millions while benefiting a handful of extremely rich. Anti-Flag means to fight against mindless nationalism. Anti-Flag means unity."
While there are currently no official details about Anti-Flag's breakup, IdiotEQ reported that the disbandment came after an explosive Enough podcast interview, in which therapist Kristina Sarhadi alleged that she was raped by the lead singer of a political punk band. Later, Justin Sane's personal Wikipedia page was changed to read: "Justin Cathal Geever (born February 21, 1973), known professionally as Justin Sane, is an American rapist." Sarhadi did not name her rapist, nor the band he was a member of, which IdiotEQ noted.