Political Punks Anti-Flag Announce Surprise Split

Kyle Denis
·2 min read

Is this the end of Anti-Flag? The veteran Pittsburgh punk band with a political bent has suddenly split with no explanation. On Thursday (July 20), the band deleted their official website and all of their official social media accounts with no warning. Bassist Chris “No. 2” Barker also deleted his personal social media pages. The news was unexpected and sudden, leaving fans stunned as they tried to piece together what happened with their favorite band.

Related

Bonnaroo
Bonnaroo

Tom Morello, Anti-Flag, Bonnaroo and More Join Campaign to Ban the Use of Facial Recognition…

07/21/2023

The only statement from the group came by way of its now-shuttered Patreon. They announced their breakup on the membership platform, writing, “Anti-Flag 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.”

More from Billboard

The band, fronted by Justin Sane and Pat Thetic, was set to kick off a North American tour alongside The Bouncing Souls later this year, but that trek has also been canceled. Anti-Flag was in the midst of a European tour when the news of their disbandment arrived, further shocking fans.

Anti-Flag was formed in 1988 in Pittsburgh and released their debut album, Die for the Government, in 1996. Since then they’ve released 13 additional albums, including 2003’s The Terror State, which earned them their highest peak on the Billboard 200 (No. 91). Four of the band’s records have entered Billboard’s marquee albums chart.

Widely known and admired for their left-wing politics and storied history of activism, Anti-Flag lent their voices to support causes including Greenpeace and Amnesty International throughout their 35-year career. The band’s most recent album, this year’s Lies They Tell Our Children, was released on January 6, the two-year anniversary of the fatal 2021 insurrection at the United States Capitol by supporters of former one-term president Donald Trump.

When asked by Billboard for additional information on the band’s split, the group’s publicist declined to comment.

Best of Billboard

Click here to read the full article.