A comprehensive investigation by the ABC into rape culture and sexual abuse within the early 2000s Byron Bay hardcore and metalcore scenes has exposed a pervasive pattern of misconduct. The broadcast report was prompted by the recent sentencing of Jed Gordon, a former merchandise manager for Parkway Drive and the brother of the band’s drummer, Ben Gordon.
Warning: This story contains references to sexual abuse.
Jed Gordon recently entered a guilty plea to a charge of sexual intercourse with a minor. The underlying incidents occurred between 2002 and 2003, involving a victim who was 15 years old at the time, while Gordon was approximately 22.
Following the sentencing, Gordon‘s accuser chose to waive her right to anonymity to speak out publicly. The ABC report notes that multiple other women, who were also minors at the time, have since stepped forward with similar allegations against Jed Gordon dating back to the same early 2000s era. One accuser, Siobhan Daysh, alleged that his behavior was widely recognized in the local community, stating that his nickname was “Ped Gordon” and adding that “His preferences for very young girls were pretty well known.”
The investigation also uncovered a physical business card distributed by Jed Gordon during that period, which identified him as the “tour manager / merch dude” for Parkway Drive and provided his contact details. The card featured the printed text: “Hi, My Name Is Jed. We should hang out later, your cute!”
When pressed by the ABC for a response regarding the newly surfaced accusations, Jed Gordon‘s legal counsel dismissed the claims, stating: “they’re rubbing as far as I’m concerned.” The New South Wales Police are understood to be actively investigating the additional allegations.
In addition to the exposure of the scene’s historical misconduct, the ABC report highlighted past problematic musical outputs from Parkway Drive bassist Jia O’Connor. The network obtained old hip-hop tracks recorded by O’Connor before he officially joined the band in 2006. According to ABC, the lyrics to the songs contained highly misogynistic themes, commented on teenage girls, and glorified sexual assault, including one specific line referencing a 24-year-old “breaking the hymen” of 12-year-olds.
O’Connor provided an official statement of apology to the ABC, attributing the tracks to “insecure teenagers” who were attempting to emulate “the hateful lyrics of Eminem and NWA without realising the consequences.”
O’Connor expanded on the context of the recordings, stating:
“In fact, many songs were never meant to be published, but some of the worst songs were leaked and ended up hurting people. While it was a toxic culture for boys, it was so much worse for girls, and I am deeply sorry for contributing to that.”
In response to the developments, Parkway Drive has completely severed ties with Jed Gordon, removing him from any involvement in their merchandise operations. The band stated that they only became aware of his criminal prosecution after seeing screenshots of his scheduled court dates.
They wrote at the time: “We’ve recently learned that someone we’ve been associated with has pleaded guilty to an underage sex offence in 2002.”
“This is appalling and we condemn it. We’re gutted and we support the victim.”
“This happened before we were a band, however we bear moral responsibility for contracting him from 2003, on and off over the years.”
“While he hasn’t toured with us since 2017, more recently he’s been part of our Australian online merch team. When the band heard about this, we terminated his contract immediately. He’s no longer involved with Parkway Drive in any capacity.”
“This is heartbreaking on a very human scale.”
“This is still ongoing in the courts so we’re closing comments.”
The members of Parkway Drive have issued public statements condemning Jed Gordon‘s actions, apologizing to their fanbase for his previous employment, and pledging their full support to the accuser.
