Fans Ejected From Vaccines Gig - For Not Knowing Singer’s Name!
Friday, 10 May 2013
Written by Elliott Batte
Fans at a Vaccines gig in North Wales were rejected entry by police - after failing to name the band’s frontman!
Yes, you read correctly - six people who had paid £18.50 for tickets to see the indie-rockers were refused entry, because they failed to produce the name of the band’s singer, Justin Young, or any of their albums.
Police had reportedly received a tip-off that there would be criminals and pickpockets targeting the show, so in an attempt to stop them, came up with a Vaccines quiz to try and weed out out the fakes from the fans.
Though it may seem like a rather harsh penalty, it appears police and the venue - Venue Cymru in Llandudno - are standing by their decision, as they aim to crack down on pickpocketing and crime at their gigs.
One of the ejected was Andy Bellis - who sings in his own band The Uninvited. He claimed that the police and the venue were being ‘heavy handed’, and also that he hadn’t yet received an apology OR a refund for the ordeal.
“You can’t just go ejecting random people from queues just for not knowing information on band discography. I haven’t even had an apology.”
He continued on to talk about the experience itself - saying:
“I got to the door with my tickets and we were pulled aside by security who asked us, ‘Do you know the name of the band you’re seeing tonight? We said ‘The Vaccines’, and he asked us if we could name their lead singer.
“I couldn’t think of his name off the top of my head and then he asked us to name their albums and I didn’t know them either. I felt a bit intimidated and under pressure. That’s when he said, ‘You’re not allowed in then’. I thought they were joking at first as I’ve never heard of anything like this in my life.”
The venue have since apologised, and stated that they will refund Bellis - as well as also revealing that there were no reports of theft or any arrests. What do you think of the technique? ‘Heavy handed’ as Bellis said, or a nifty way of stopping or reducing crime? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.
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