In a recent interview with Allison Hagendorf, Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante, shared her experience with sexual harassment while performing on stage and the one method she used to protect herself: cupping her microphone. She recalled how difficult it was early in her career, especially when fans would ask why there was a barricade at the front of the stage.
“Whenever my friends were like, ‘Oh I wish there wasn’t a barricade,’ I’m like, ‘That must be so cool for you because you’re not getting sexually assaulted while you’re trying to do your job.’ Don’t get me wrong I don’t like the barricade either, but it’s really cool to be able to put my arms down by their sides.”
LaPlante went on to explain how things are different now compared to their early days: “It’s different now. We’re going to a show, it’s our show and our fans are coming and they understand us and they respect us. We brought people that empathize and resonate with us come to our shows, they paid money to be there. But that’s not how things are when you’re starting out or you’re in a band that plays bars. There’s dudes there are just going to the bar that night and paid $8 to go smoke cigarettes in the bar and watch a bunch of random ass bands. It’s a hostile environment.”
She added that during their early years, she had to cup the mic to hear herself properly over poor sound systems: “Anyone that complains about mic cupping, they didn’t play a sh*tty show with one-floor monitor. You have to do that so you can hear yeah yourself. It took me years to not hold my microphone like this.”
In a powerful moment, LaPlante discussed how being sexually assaulted on stage had become so common that it felt ‘normalized.’ “It’s one of those things that’s so normalized that I never even thought about like, ‘Oh yeah I’m like getting sexually assaulted on stage right now.’ The guys are all just like, ‘Yeah,’ or catcalled or whatever. Now I’d have the empowerment to be like, ‘Get that guy out of the show.'”
This isn’t the first time LaPlante has spoken out about this issue. She previously responded to a post by Silent Planet frontman Garrett Russell. He shared stories of women in metal facing disrespect and disbelief from venue security. Russell wrote, “Currently listening to Amber and Sarah, two of the talented ladies working for us, exchange story after story of venue security not believing they are part of the tour crew (despite wearing crew shirts and showing laminates) and it’s some sexist bullshit that needs to change asap,” Silent Planet frontman Garrett Russell wrote on X.
LaPlante replied by sharing her own experience, revealing how security had stopped her at clubs and festivals before she went on stage. “In my old band, a few times I had security stop me, as the intro music played, while I was walking out on stage at some clubs and festivals! We all have these stories, not just in the music world but any male dominated industry! I’ve noticed more women on staff though which rules.”
The singer also posted about her experiences with the treatment she received once she was actually on stage: “And don’t even get me started on what would happen when I actually got ON the stage! Anytime my peers would complain about there being a barricade up, and then the venue took it down, I was like ‘Whelp…looks like I’m getting sexually assaulted tonight.'”
As Spiritbox prepares for their upcoming tour, kicking off on February 13 at the Alexandra Palace in London, LaPlante’s words bring much-needed awareness to these ongoing issues. The tour include five shows in Germany, with stops in France and the Netherlands, before wrapping up on February 23 in Hamburg.
The band’s tour is nearly sold out.
