BABYMETAL was featured for second consecutive week on Kerrang Magazine, this time Kerrang published new content from the Kerrang Awards 2016 where BABYMETAL won "Best Live Band" Award, also features an apologise from ceremony's presenter Benji Webbe from the band Skindred, check the scans below.
BABYMETAL at Kerrang Awards 2016 featured in the new issue of Kerrang Magazine
BABYMETAL at Kerrang Awards 2016 was featured in a few pages of the new issue including a big statement from Benji Webbe presenter of the award ceremony who interrupted BABYMETAL's speech for their "Best Live Band" award. Check Kerrang's article about ir, plus Skindred's PR and Benji's statement:
From Kerrang: After receiving complaints about Skindred frontman and K! Awards presenter Benji Webbe's treatment of BABYMETAL, we reached out to him, and this is what he had to say...
When Skindred frontman Benji Webbe co-hosted the Kerrang! Awards alongside Justing Hawkins on June 9, he caused some controversy over how he interacted with BABYMETAL onstage. We approveched his PR company for comment, and they sent us this statement...
"Following a torrent of racial abuse aimed at Skindred frontman Benji Webbe after the Kerrang! Awards - where he was hosting, and jokingly interrupted BABYMETAL's acceptance speech, for which he immediately apologised - the singer now feels there is a need for another statement. 'On the night, Benji joked with all artists collecting awards, as you woul expect, which was why he was asked to host the awards. However, a clip of Benji interrupting BABYMETAL's acceptance speech has been posted on YouTube and circulated with incorrect and negative subtitles posted below, trying to portray Benji as a bully and calling him a racist.
Instead of him saying 'You fuckin' rock' to the band, the video has the words, 'You fuckin' around', and instead of him saying 'Arigato' meaning 'Thank you', they have put 'Heavy metal', while also editing out him shaking the band's hands and screaming the words 'BABYMETAL! Make some noise!' Instead, the video has the word 'Burn' written as if BABYMETAL are saying it, which we believe is trying to incite racism and hatred, that would receive no support from either Benji or from BABYMETAL."
Benji's statement: "A lot has been an mistranslated online about what I said to BABYMETAL. I am loud-mouth wich a mic, which I guess was why I was asked and was honoured to co-host the Kerrang! Awards. My banter was meant t obe light-hearted and funny. I was being rowdy all night with every act that came on the stage, that's my way. It was light-hearted and meant to be funny, but I also unerstand everyone has a different concept of what's funny, but I'm not inside everybody's head and, sincerely, I wasn'nt trying to hurt anyone. If I'm guilty of anything from that night it was for interrupting BABYMETAL's acceptance speech and being rowdy, for which I alongside, no harm was meant. With regoard to BABYMETAL. With regard to BABYMETAL, I did not realise how long they had been preparing and learning their acceptance speech in English, and, as a result, my banter must have been off-putting fo them, for which I immediatly apologised. None of its content was in any way racist of sexist, as suggested. To the contrary, I congratulated them as they left the stage and shouted their name as I was glad they won. In fact, I was stoked for them, as they are outsiders in what they do, as are Skindred. It's not in me to hate something who is different colour from me, as I know more than most what it is like to stick out from my peers. Myself and Skindred have collaborated with many Japanese acts and have had Japanese acts tour with us as our guests all over the world - we're huge fans Japanese rock music.
If anyone knows anything about my band at all, it is that everyone is welcome... that's our message and has been since the beginning, be them black, white, Asian, fat, thin, gay, straight, male, female or trans... there is no discrimination at a Skindred show.
In regards to the above, I apologized immediately afterwards and would now like to think the fans of both my band and BABYMETAL, and of rock music generally, understand that people trying to incite racial hatred should not be supported or given the time of day."
Kerrang! does not, and has never found racism acceptable. We thank Benji for hosting our awards, and congratulate BABYMETAL, once again, on their victory!
Check more content from this issue below!
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Get your copy of Kerrang! Magazine, click here.
Scans courtesy of: Sentimental Night.
Write a comment
Jim (Friday, 24 June 2016 22:29)
I really don't understand why this subject is still being discussed.. Webbe's apology is still not acceptable IMO. From reading other postings on Webbe, it seems that this behavior in his words is somewhat normal, so why does he apologize? He got caught this time because Babymetal fans won't put up with this crap.. In no way did these girls deserve this kind of treatment after receiving an award for excellence.. Maybe if Webbe had talent, he would be in the same position. Su, Yui, and Moa being adult and very polite respect others and I assume they would expect the same in return. This is just another example of the culture differences between both. The ignorance of Webbe during the presentation was shocking that someone would have the balls to mimic and ridicule an award winner interrupting every other word. The use of profanity just makes it seem even more bizarre. If Webbe's personality is so toxic, he should have not been considered to present an award. Being immature is not a virtue, but to him it must be. I just don't think that at this point it can be corrected to make everything good again. Webber had his chance, but for some reason a sincere apology from him is just not in the cards..
dah-veed (Saturday, 25 June 2016 12:04)
When someone apologies, you move on.
Those that stay on the side of the ignorant comments (which they were) are feeding into negativity. and is only reaffirmed but your above statement saying Webbe isn't talented. He's well respected in the rock circle and his band is what many aspire to be on stage.
Respect to Su, Yui, Moa and Webbe for knowing this is a learning situation and may rock get stronger from this.
Metal (Wednesday, 29 June 2016 09:57)
Yeah, now we're a bunch of deaf racists.
I'm trying to look at this as objectively as I can, tho I am a big Babymetal fan still.
Let's try and look this in the best light as we can and assume he was being "playful" with them.
Even then it still looks kinda gross/rude the way he initially interrupted Su,
Su: "I can't believe we're here to have award again.. "
Benji: "Ye?"
Su: "Thank you.. "
Benji: "Again"
Su: "Yes." *nods in confirmation*
Benji: "See you"
Su: "#" tries to say something but gets interrupted ... again
Benji: "I'm glad you won"
Su: "Thank you"
Benji: "Candy kids"
Su: "Thank you to everyone who ... " gets muted by Benji supposedly yelling Arigatou
Benji: "Arigatou" / ("Heavy Metal")
Su: "Arigata" Su seems to try and politely say "Thanks, but please stop interrupting already" while nodding again while she seems ticked off at this point already for being interrupted so many times.
Maybe s/o who speaks both english and japanese fluently can verify whether she says "arigata" - "being thankful", reaffirming that she's really grateful for his "congratulations" yet again and even in japanese this time.
Benji: "You Fucking Erck/#@!# (Hear/Here/Rock?)" - Really hard to distinguish anything other than "You Fucking".
Maybe it was mostly his welsh accents and his awkward attitude that led to a misunderstanding while trying to appear original while making some sort of jokes.
Tho it's possible also that he really did try to be mean initially, but then for some reason whether he didn't had the balls or decided against it midway, he gradually appear to softened and his tone changed from rather rude/mocking to less so and sort of a "friendly" banter / taunting.
Personally, I find his attitude in the first part to be rude and a bit disrespectful, his "Ye?" and with the tone he said it when Su was saying that they're here to have award again, and his "Again?" rather sounded like "Ye, rly? *_* So what?" and as he really didn't regard them winning their award as some sort of worthy achievement or any kind of big deal so to say. By that time you are left confused at best to what he really meant with "I'm glad you won", whether he was genuine or meant it in a sarcastic way.
While this is up for discussion and for anyone to judge for himself, the way that his PR and management decided to come out of this has been very insulting and offensive, trying to portray all the Babymetal fans as racists, while complaining about the exact same thing whilst claiming that with the video it was attempted to "trying to portray Benji as a bully and calling him a racist".
Ironic how they are doing just that very same thing towards the band's fans.
I personally haven't seen any racist slur directed towards Benji or Skindred from everything I've read. Not saying there aren't any, but I just haven't come across any what so ever.