Sigur Rós drummer Orri Páll Dýrason responds as new details of alleged sexual assault emerge

Sigur Rós drummer Orri Páll Dýrason has further denied allegations of sexual assault after further details of the night in question emerged.

Earlier this month, Sigur Rós confirmed Dýrason’s departure from the band after artists Megan Boyd claimed that she was sexually assaulted by the drummer and multi-instrumentalist in Los Angeles in 2013.

Now, Pitchfork have spoken to Boyd to outline the alleged events. She claims that on January 9, 2013, she was 26 and working at a strip club in West Hollywood called the Body Shop. She says that at around 3.30am she was having a cigarette outside when approached by a man ‘in a nice car’ who said he was the driver of a band in town. He is then said to have suggested she ask the band member for a dance, before Dýrason entered the club.

“Sometimes when you have admiration for someone you just trust them,” said Boyd. “That’s why I went along with it. There’s no other circumstances that I would have left the club with a guy, ever.” She said, “When you work in environments like that you have to expect that men are going to feel like they have the right to disrespect you.

“But when I met Orri he didn’t seem like he was one of those guys… You wouldn’t think somebody in that band would even be at a strip club.”

While it is said that Dýrason told her he was married and his wife had recently given birth, Boyd claims that the pair ended up in bed together, before he suggesting they get naked and she urged that they go to sleep. She then claims that she awoke to find the drummer performing oral sex on her, before engaging in penetrative sex without consent.

While airing rape allegations on a Reddit AMA in 2013, Boyd said that she didn’t go to the police because she feared what with come with making accusations against a member of such a high profile band.  “I was really traumatized,” she said. “I had a lot of weird problems with men and I was afraid of men. It was a really difficult time for me.”

She added: “I didn’t want to have happen what’s happening now”.

Boyd said that she decided to share her account after discovering that Dýrason had a new partner and was engaged to a feminist activist who co-founded Reykjavík SlutWalk – adding that it was “infuriating” as “he shouldn’t be in a woman’s safe space.”

Dýrason confirmed to Pitchfork the authenticity of emails sent on September 27 in which he wrote to Boyd: “I am so sorry you are going through all this. But my experience from that night is completely different than yours.”

Sigur Ros’ Orri Páll Dýrason

Dýrason has further denied claims that he had non-consensual sex with her, and having sex with her at all.

He added that that they did spent said night together, but only “talking and drinking”. He said that he would not be commenting further at this stage, but added that he will be saying more on the matter later down the line.

The drummer concluded: “My comment is I didn’t do anything.”

Posting on his official Facebook page upon his resignation earlier this month Dýrason wrote: “I cannot have these serious allegations influence the band and the important and beautiful work that has been done there for the last years.”

He added:  “I will do anything in my power to get myself out of this nightmare, but out of respect for those actually suffering from sexual violence, I will not take that fight public.”

The remaining band members later posted: “In the wake of the extremely serious and personal allegations made against him in recent days we have today accepted the resignation of our bandmate Orri Páll Dyrason to allow him to deal with this privately. Jónsi & Georg.”

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