A SCOTS rock band is under fire online after uploading controversial clips where they try to guess someone’s gender from pictures.
Single By Sunday from East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire are facing backlash from the LGBTQ+ community for their recent actions in a clip posted to social media last week.
The band’s crude game consisted of guessing whether a person is male or female solely from a close-up screenshot of the person in question’s crotch.
Video shows the band looking at the unidentified person’s upper legs, which are clad in a pair of deep blue ripped jeans, whilst they give their reasons why they think the person is a boy or girl.
Bassist Joshua Clark says: “I trust the tuck, I’m saying that’s a guy,” in reference to an act performed by drag queens to hide their genitals while performing.
The band laugh and discuss further, with one saying: “He’s been watching too much [Ru-Paul’s] drag race.”
The other members then chime in with a mixture of guesses of male or female, before the picture is zoomed out to reveal BBC Radio One DJ Alyx Holcombe.
Lead vocalist Josh Ladds then says: “This is Alyx Holcombe isn’t it?”
Guitarist Jonny Eakins then sheepishly replies: “She literally just played us on the radio today.”
Realisation then appears to set in for the band as photographer Darren Girvan says: “F***ing Joshua just called her a good tuck,” as the rest of the band bursts out in hysterics.
Joshua, quickly realising his slip-up, then says: “Oh god, oh god. I didn’t even realise. We’ll cut in a phrase. I’ll say ‘Oh they’re a lovely pair of legs. That’s a girl’ – cut that in.”
Josh Ladds then jokes: “We are never getting aired on BBC Radio One ever again.”
Another clip shows the band unanimously agreeing that a second zoomed in picture of a crotch area is female singer Pixie Lott.
However, the picture then reveals male pop punk singer Yungblud.
The clips – which have since been deleted – were uploaded to social media where people were quick to react in disgust, accusing the band of transphobia.
The band apologised via their Instagram story, saying: “We want to publicly apologise to @alyxholcombe and anyone else that may have been inadvertently offended by our podcast video.
“It was never intended to be hurtful or malicious.
“We have read your comments and taken them onboard. The video has been removed and again we apologise”
Twitter user Craig Reynolds, who plays drums in the band Stray From The Path, called out the band’s apology yesterday.
He said: “‘That may have been inadvertently offended’ is not the way to apologise.
“Having a game of ‘man’ or ‘woman’ is insanely transphobic, not to mention sexualising a close up photo of someone’s crotch without their consent?
“F*** @SingleBySunday and their s*** f***ing music.”
Another user agreed, saying: “Oh my god f*** this band. Imagine being so desperate for TikTok content that you would be this rude and invasive about somebody who literally played your music on BBC R1.
“I am genuinely gobsmacked.”
A second said: “What an utterly disgusting ‘podcast’, misogynistic, transphobic and sexist content has no place in music, ever.”
A third joked: “Single By Sunday. Toast By Monday.”
The band have further apologised online and have claimed they are not transphobic and were not trying to be hurtful to the LGBTQ+ community.
They tweeted: “We would like to publicly apologise for the insensitivity we have shown to the LGBTQ+ community.
“It was never within our intentions and we are deeply sorry for our actions.
“We will be better people.
“We aren’t transphobic either. We have friends in the LGBTQ+ community who we love.
“We just made up a silly game that we now know was wrong.”
