Shining is no stranger to controversy, seeing as the band has been thriving off of both good and bad press for their entire career. Front man Niklas Kvarforth has seemingly made it his entire career to be the most controversial figure in the depths of extreme metal, with the band’s first US run being surrounded by controversy because of his actions on stage. Their current US tour is no different.

According to the Tonic Lounge in Portland, Oregon, the show taking place today is henceforth cancelled. They released the following statement:

“Tonic Lounge has decided to cancel the Shining show that was scheduled for this Wednesday, May 17th.
All tickets will be refunded.

“We regret having not researched this band more before approving their show. After booking them, it was brought to our attention that Shining’s singer has done and said many things that could be considered offensive, dangerous, or destructive. While we were learning about and considering these issues, the list continued to grow, including a recent report that the he may have been involved in the drugging of someone’s drink. This morning we received a call from a trusted friend in Boise Idaho, detailing the events that took place while Shining were there on Sunday. We were told that the singer of Shining went to the local punk bar Mulligans before their concert, and was groping women and threatening to stab employees, and had to be removed. We were also told that later, while performing at The Shredder, he used many blatant racist and homophobic slurs on stage, threatened audience members with rape, slapped audience members in the face, and was sieg heil saluting repeatedly throughout their performance. Sometimes words and allegations on the internet can be difficult to navigate, but a story like this coming from a friend is not. The above types of behavior are simply not acceptable at Tonic Lounge. This isn’t about censorship. This is about protecting our venue, our staff, and our patrons.

“This decision was not made under pressure by any individuals or political groups. We believe in freedom of expression and are not quick to pull the plug on any band booked at our club. However, we are not going to invite someone into our space to spout hate speech on our stage, and/or put our staff and patrons in harm’s way. We are still in full support of Famine Fest Presents, the other bands who were on the bill, and all of our friends and customers who planned on attending. We hope you all can respect our decision to do what’s best for our club and those within it.”

A video of the incident is also viewable and will be included at the bottom of the article.

Kvarforth is known for causing controversy, and if fan comments on their Facebook page (And comments from my own friends who saw them on this tour) are any indication, there’s reason to believe Niklas is attempting to cause controversy in the States to get some attention to the band. That being said, it should not be ruled out or excused as just publicity stunts. As it stands, there is no video evidence of these actions happening at the show.

Shining is currently on tour with Wolvhammer and Revenge in the United States.