Arcade Fire Deny ‘Scurrilous Rumors’ That They Bribed UK Border Officials In A Tongue-In-Cheek Statement

Arcade Fire might have been help up while trying to cross into the United Kingdom recently. According to a release from the group’s fictional parody of a corporation Everything Now, the group were detained for several hours while trying to cross for a show in Scunthorpe, England.

“This was a routine stop,” the release reads. “No malfeasance was suspected or found and the band was released after a routine search. “Contrary to scurrilous rumors (or rumours, as they say in that country) no bribes were offered or accepted for the band’s release. People or publications repeating those allegations will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

The whole thing reads as tongue-in-cheek, especially since it’s coming from their made-up account that retweets links to Amway and talks about how great brand-name pharmaceuticals are. So, it’s hard to tell where the joke ends and reality begins. Then again, last night Will Butler did tweet at the account about the band’s detention, which, of course, might be all part of the facade:

The release added that they do not regard the stop as a reaction to U.S. immigration policies, with more than a little bit of winking thrown in.

“Per usual ENC and AF will not comment publicly on political matters, but will continue to make large contributions to all major political parties in any country that matters,” they wrote.

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