The fallout surrounding Baltimore hardcore outfit End It continues to escalate following a highly publicized incident at a recent Canadian show. Following intense online scrutiny over a physical altercation instigated by frontman Akil Godsey, the group’s official Facebook page has mysteriously vanished from the platform.
As of yesterday, navigating to the band’s Facebook URL results in a standard “content unavailable” error, indicating the page has been taken offline or deactivated, though their Instagram profile remains active. This digital disappearance comes just one day after End It was quietly scrubbed from a newly announced European tour featuring metal veterans Hatebreed and Life Of Agony. The hardcore group has yet to issue a public statement regarding either their removal from the tour or the controversy itself.
The situation stems from a concert in Toronto, Ontario over the weekend, where End It was serving as a supporting act for hardcore heavyweights Terror. During their performance, Akil Godsey singled out a concertgoer wearing a full-body banana suit and placed a bounty on him, offering the band’s stage setlist to anyone in the crowd who could tear the costume apart.
“We’re just gonna address, it, do you want to this now, or later?… Banana man, what the f**k is you doing my n**ga?” Godsey asked from the stage.
When a section of the crowd began to cheer at the mention of the fan’s outfit, Godsey quickly shut down the positive reaction.
“No, no, no, no, no, you don’t get rewarded for doing that s**t. He wanted the attention, and now he has it,” the vocalist stated.
The band’s bassist then chimed in over the microphone, adding: “And now, everyone here has to kill you.”
Godsey then said: “And now, if you strip the banana, you get this lovely setlist. I’m just saying, he was asking for attention, now you got it.”
The audience quickly complied, mobbing the fan and destroying the suit.
Addressing the situation on social media afterward, the targeted fan explained that he has regularly attended local shows in the fruit costume for a long time and had never experienced that kind of direct hostility from a performer.
“People have been trying to dim my sparkle my entire life. It sucks, but I’m used to it. I’ve surfered hundreds of people in this suit, all genders, all ages, safely. Especially, a lot of first timers that felt safe to approach me for their first surf,” he wrote.
“@enditbaltmore two of your band members crossed the line…and I’m obligated to speak on it.”
“F**k the police? While, policing what people wear? Take off, hoser.”
“The message last night; Conform or get called out, exactly the opposite of what Hardcore is supposed to be.”
“I was an unwilling participant, attacked and clothing removed at the direction of a band I paid to see… What would you do?”
As the story continues to dominate heavy music discussion boards and comment sections, several bands have stepped up to publicly support the “Banana Man.”
On Wednesday, June 10, Escuela Grind playfully acknowledged the viral moment while on tour in Europe. The grindcore act announced that the first five attendees to show up dressed as a banana at their gig at the Pitcher in Dusseldorf, Germany, would receive a free gift from the band.
Taking a much more direct stance, Toronto-based punk rock group The OBGMs voiced their complete solidarity with the local fan. On June 9, the outfit shared archival footage of the fan stage-diving in his signature costume at one of their past concerts, accompanied by a fierce statement advocating for inclusivity at live shows.
The band wrote:
“Apparently, our BANANA MAN friend had a messed up experience at show in our city.
LET’S GET SOMETHING CLEAR.BLACK, BROWN, WHITE, PURPLE, BEIGE, BLUE, GREEN, RAINBOW.
MAN, WOMAN, NON-CONFORMING.
GAY, STRAIGHT, QUEER, QUESTIONING.
RELIGIOUS, NOT RELIGIOUS. OLD. YOUNG. AGELESS.
DRESSED LIKE A BANANA, A ZUCCHINI, A TOMATO.SHOW UP AS YOU ARE.
YOU ARE WELCOME HERE.
WE INVITE YOU IN.
WE LIFT EACH OTHER UP HERE
YOU ARE FAMILY HERE.THE RULE IS SIMPLE.
DON’T BE AN A**HOLE.
DON’T BE A BIGOT.
TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER.
If you can’t get down with that F**K OFFSEE YOU AT THE SHOW.”
