Badly Drawn Boy apologises for insulting LA crowd

Badly Drawn Boy has apologised for lashing out at the crowd during a gig at Los Angeles' Troubadour venue last week (December 16).

At the gig the singer, real name Damon Gough, suffered sound problems before turning on the audience. At one point he called them "cunts" and threatened to walk out.

"I can start by saying that there is no-one more upset by this situation than myself," Gough said about the incident.

He added: "After a successful three-week tour, this should have been the crowning send-off, but will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. As an artist you only want to do the job to the best of your ability... when that is compromised there is a tendency to get frustrated."

He went on to explain the source of his annoyance.

"I said on the mic, 'If I can't do my job well, then I may as well go home,' to which one heckler shouted, 'Just go home then,' and then another, 'Bring back Justin [Jones, support act].' Considering what I was going through, this was too much to bear. I regret my choice of language directed at the hecklers and then I had to leave the stage to regroup."

Gough said he feels the show, which he managed to finish after leaving the stage for a period, "ended well under the circumstances".

He added: "I don't feel I owe an apology to those who heckled, but I want to profusely apologise to those caught in the crossfire, especially a guy who had to leave with his young daughter, and all of you who stuck by me to help turn things around."