Be Reyt: Sheffield festival organisers defend booking former Kasabian frontman Tom Meighan after backlash

The singer was announced over the weekend as the headliner of the indie music festival Be Reyt, taking place at Network on Matilda Street, in Sheffield city centre, on Saturday, May 6. In 2020, Meighan issued a public apology after he admitted asssaulting his partner Vikki Ager, whom he has since married, and was sentenced at Leicester Magistrates’ Court to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

After quitting Kasabian, the chart-topping band he had helped form in 1997, he told how he had ‘struggled for many years with alcohol addiction’ and described the assault as a ‘wake-up call for me, for who I was, and what I was becoming’. Network and Record Junkee, organisers of the Be Reyt festival, said they were aware of an online campaign asking people to boycott the venue because of Meighan’s presence but they did not believe he should be ‘cast out from the music community after working hard to better himself’.

In a joint statement, they said: “Tom Meighan has suffered in the past with publicised mental health issues and admitted to allegations of abuse towards his partner, which contributed to him stepping down from his role as the singer and frontman of Kasabian. In no way do our companies believe domestic abuse or abuse of any type is acceptable. Nobody should have to suffer any type of abuse.

“However, we do believe that people deserve a second chance. Tom has been to rehab and is now married to Vikki Ager. He's been confirmed for several festivals up and down the country including Sheffield, supporting acts such as Noel Gallagher and Razorlight, whilst also headlining his own shows at O2 Academies.

“It has been brought to our attention that there is a campaign online asking people to boycott our venue because of Tom’s presence. We do not accept that Tom should be cast out from the music community after working hard to better himself.”

They added: “We only ask for the same understanding that is given to the numerous venues across the country that allow him to perform either as a support act or a headline act. We will continue to support a diverse range of acts and styles as we have always done and we look forward to welcoming you to our venue for this event and many more events to come.”

Be Reyt festival, tickets for which are still available, is advertised as featuring 36 bands and DJs across three stages.