Singer with Irish band Sprints says she was sexually assaulted by audience member during gig on Saturday

Sprints. Photo: Niamh Barry

Adrianna Wrona

The singer of Irish band Sprints was sexually assaulted by a member of the audience while performing at a gig in Belfast, the band have said.

Karla Chubb, the lead singer of Dublin-based grunge band Sprints, was allegedly groped and harassed while performing at the Ulster Sports Club in Belfast on Saturday, April 20.

It was the second time Ms Chubb was sexually assaulted during Sprints’ Letter To Self tour, the group said in a post on social media.

The band confirmed to the Irish Independent that “the offence was committed at the Belfast concert by a member of the audience”.

The incident was not reported to the police by Ms Chubb or the band, a spokesperson for the group said.

The group said they “will not stand for" and “will not be silent about” such incidents.

"The fact that this has occurred twice is abhorrent, the fact it still happens at all is disgusting,” the group has said in a statement shared on social media.

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"Female performers should be able to engage with their audience, step off the stage or perform without fear of groping, unwanted touching, cat-calling and harassment,” the group said.

"The fact that this is still an everyday occurrence for most women is beyond reprehensible.

"To those who noticed and called out the behaviour yesterday, thank you. To those of you responsible for the behaviour, shame on you. Do better.”

Chubb was a contestant in RTÉ’s Voice of Ireland in 2014.

In 2019, she formed Sprints along with bassist and vocalist Sam McCann, guitarist Colm O’Reilly and drummer Jack Callan in Dublin.

The band is now touring Ireland and Europe following the release of their debut album Letter To Self on January 5.

The album includes songs such as Up and Comer, Adore Adore Adore, and Heavy.

They previously released two EPs: Manifesto in 2021 and A Modern Job in 2022, and have amassed more than 170,000 monthly listeners on Spotify to date.