Who is Lukas Wigflex, and why does this land so hard?
For the best part of two decades, Lukas Wigflex (real name Lukas Cole) was Nottingham's underground, not a figure in it. The Wigflex label, the club night that outlived most of the city's venues, and the festival that grew out of both put Nottingham on the map for people who never set foot there. That is exactly why the past week reads the way it does: the institutions he built are the ones now cutting him loose.
The trigger was a Substack newsletter published in late June by his former wife and former business partner, who writes as Avarni. In her account she alleged psychological abuse, coercive and controlling behaviour, physical abuse, intimidation and threats over a span of more than ten years, across a period in which she was married to him.
What have the festivals and promoters actually done?
The hard facts are not in dispute. On 30 June, Peep Festival, the weekend event Wigflex co-founded with Dr Banana at Great Fulford in Exeter, said on Instagram that he would be stepping down with immediate effect, and that he would no longer perform at, profit from, or be involved in the festival in any capacity. Wigflex then withdrew from all of his scheduled gigs. Love International, the festival in Tisno, cancelled the set he was booked to play on 9 July.
"Lukas will be stepping down from Peep with immediate effect."
How has Wigflex responded, and how has Avarni?
Wigflex posted an apology to Instagram, saying he was embarrassed, disgusted and full of shame after reading her account. He acknowledged that his behaviour had caused hurt and accepted responsibility, while asking for recognition of complexity and the possibility of personal growth. Avarni responded that psychological abuse needs more recognition across the industry, and pointed to the difficulty of receiving a first public apology with no prior private acknowledgment of the harm.
