Rolo Tomassi lead exodus from Holy Roar after label founder accused of sexual assault

By Paul Brannigan
published

Rolo Tomassi, Svalbard, Møl and record label staff sever connections with Holy Roar following accusations of sexual assault levelled at founder Alex Fitzpatrick

Rolo Tomassi band live
(Image credit: Getty Images / Roberto Rucciuti)

Rolo Tomassi, Svalbard, Møl and the staff of Holy Roar have severed connections with the independent record label after its founder, Alex Fitzpatrick, was accused of sexual assault.

The allegations of sexual abuse made against Fitzpatrick were posted on social media on September 7. The following day, September 8, Rolo Tomassi declared that they were ending their five year relationship with the label, and label manager Justine Jones (who fronts Employed To Serve) plus two staff members resigned from their positions at the label, with Jones stating “The extremely serious allegations are against everything that myself, Sam, Wil and our bands stand for.”

Alex Fitzpatrick denied the allegations in a post on his private Instagram account on September 9, by which point Svalbard and Møl too had announced that they would no longer be working or affiliated with Holy Roar. Other Holy Roar acts including Ithaca and Palm Reader, who were due to release their fourth album, Sleepless, via Holy Roar on October 30 - have issued statements indicating that they are aware of the allegations and are considering their own next steps.

Holy Roar Alex Fitzpatrick

(Image credit: Instagram/Alex Fitzpatrick)
Paul Brannigan
Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.