Aaron Grech May 30th, 2021 - 10:00 AM
Back in 2018, former Joanna Gruesome frontwoman Alanna McArdle wrote a blog post on behalf of a woman known as L, who made several allegations of alleged abuse against Hookworms frontman Matt Johnson, also known as MJ. Johnson vehemently denied these allegations and brought forward a libel and malicious falsehood against McArdle in 2020. The lawsuit has now been withdrawn following McArdle’s deletion of the blog post, which was accompanied by a a statement posted to Twitter.
“The litigation brought by Matt Johnson against Alanna and L/XYZ has been withdrawn,” the statement reads. “Alanna has now withdrawn the blog post from publication. Alanna bears Matthew no malice and hopes that he will do what is necessary to continue his music career. The blog post has been taken down. None of the parties will make any further comment on the case.”
— Lan (@alannamcardle_) May 26, 2021
Hookworms broke up soon after the publication of McArdle’s blog post, while Johnson removed himself entirely from social media. The woman known as L continues to remain anonymous, however the woman was reportedly involved with Johnson around 2016.
Both Hookworms and Joanna Gruesome formed in the UK, with the former establishing itself out of the Leeds neo-psychedelic scene during the 2010s and the latter coming out of Cardiff during the same period. Hookworms were known for their spacey instrumentals and drone elements, while Joanna Gruesome were known for their blend of punk, noise and indie pop. Joanna Gruesome’s latest album Peanut Butter came out in 2015, while Hookworms released their final album Microshift in 2018.
