Rowetta appeals for witnesses of alleged attack by Shaun Ryder in 2000
Content Warning: This article contains accounts of alleged violence that some readers may find distressing.
Former Happy Mondays member Rowetta has appealed for witnesses of an alleged attack from ex-bandmate Shaun Ryder to come forward.
“If anyone has any footage or if you were on that Stena Line Ferry or if you worked for them in 2000, please message me,” she wrote in a post on Twitter today (March 4). “And thanks to all those who have already done so and of course thanks to my amazing friends & children.”
Rowetta made the allegations in a series of posts last month (February 22), writing: “Shaun Ryder punched me, knocked me out & there were lots of witnesses & my son had to see me with a black eye! Don’t call me a liar threatening with defamation! Should have called the cops!”.
Ryder has denied the allegations in a statement sent to The Metro, with a spokesperson saying he is “shocked” by Rowetta’s allegations.
Manchester-born vocalist Rowetta alleged that the incident took place following an appearance at Dublin’s Witness Festival in 2000 while aboard a ferry to Holyhead — she went on to claim that she had “never been treated so bad” while on tour with the Happy Mondays, and that she had been forced to bee “on a bus with 15 men” while “Neetsy & Bez’s dogs” were placed in “5-star hotels.”
On February 26, Rowetta shared a screenshot of an NME report on the incident published in August 2000, with the caption: “Witness Festival 2000, I am not a liar.”
The report includes a statement from Stena Line Ferries that reads: “A female and one of the group had a fight. The captain threatened to turn the ship around unless they behaved.”
Rowetta has implied that Happy Mondays frontman Bez witnessed the incident: “I have witnesses, photos and press.
It’s not a new story.
He didn’t deny it when it happened,” she wrote on Twitter yesterday (March 3) “Ask Bez why he didn’t go on stage.”
“I do hope Bez doesn’t let my kids down. I’ve always been there for him & his,” Rowetta added in a post today (March 4).
In a full statement issued to The Metro, representatives for Ryder said: “‘This matter is now in the hands of Shaun’s lawyers. He is shocked by Rowetta’s reported claims, but in the circumstances there will be no further comment.”
Rowetta responded with a statement to The Metro, claiming that she is “seeking legal advice and will be going to the police.”
“I am not a liar,” she continued. ‘I also have witnesses and evidence. I’m not saying anything further at this time, but they need to stop calling me a liar.”
Rowetta parted ways with the Happy Mondays in December last year after three decades; having first joined the band in 1990, she featured on the albums ‘Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches’ and ‘Yes Please’, as well as the band’s 1990 John Kongos cover ‘Step On’.
While the Happy Mondays have split several times since she became a member, Rowetta rejoined the band in 2012 and has since completed several tours with the original line-up.
Upon the announcement of her exit in December, both the Happy Mondays and Rowetta shared a joint statement on social media that read: “Happy Mondays and Rowetta announce that Rowetta will no longer be performing with the band.
“Happy Mondays thank Rowetta for her services and wish her the best for the future,” the statement continued.
Megan Townsend is Mixmag’s Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter
