Shocking violence at a gig

I am going to complain to the venue about this and maybe the council who give them the licence. I last night witnessed the most shocking violence in all my life.

I went to see the Other Smiths, there was some drunks who looked like football hooliagans nearer the front. After 5 minutes into the gig they started a mosh pit and everybody was forced to move back a few metres causing a massive shuffle.

No sign of any security

30 minutes later people kept going onto the stage a security guard magicaly appeared and took them off, back into the audience. Towards the end of the gig a load of these drunks decided it would be funny to onto the stage, a fight then broke out with the security guard, he then had to throw them off the stage directly into the audience.

The sound engineer then stepped in to help.

I find it shocking that an invent that sells alchohol with 400 capacity could have such poor security. What the point on throwing these people back into the audience so they can only cause more trouble?

I am frankly shocked and disgusted at their bahaviour and it has ruined the entire night for me. We went home early in the end not wishing to stayout in town. To top it all off I got back home and a road very near me was closed, it seems there had been a shooting. The police told me it was outsiders causing trouble in Wetherspoons but this morning it is emerging it was a shooting.

 

Why is the other 400 people not helping the lone security guard?

 

Christ where do you live?!

 

http://www.umu.man.ac.uk/services/feedback.shtml

Complain, they should have more security. :JPS:

 

Ah, Manchester.

Never understood why anyone would want to pay the premium of living in Didsbury when you can move to the other side of the A34 and live in the Heatons.

House prices as just as bad, but cheaper house and car insurance, just as convenient to get into the city centre and a LOT less trouble.

Now I remember why, after 20 years of living in South Manchester, I now live about 1/2 mile south of the West Pennine moors.

 

I live in Chorlton, the police man said to me last night it was people coming in from the outside causing trouble. However the proximity to Moss Side is creating problems. I find it amazing that £200,000 can just about buy a 3 bed terrace yet there are shootings on the doorstep. Didsbury is pretty much the same, the bars there are known to attract yobs from outside areas.

I like the Heatons, I can see myself living in Heaton Mersey or Heaton Moor, the areas are still expensive but they are nearer enough to the city to be close but far enough not be too rough.

I get to know rough areas because I deliver leaflets, the areas I never have trouble in are the better parts of Chorlton, Didsbury and Heaton Mersey and the cheaper parts of Heaton Moor. I don't do the mansions in Didsbury or Heaton Moor as its not economicaly viable.

PS Pino thanks for the link, I am thinking of writing a formal letter though as it just seems more formal and more legally binding. Its not the first security breach at UMU's venues. I was involved in a conflict at the Zutons gig and there was no visible security there either, the capacity there was more than 1000.

UMU should either put up ticket prices by 50p to pay for extra security otherwise they may be forced to shut down by law.

 

I have sent an email now as I don't trust the post Thanks Pino for the link.

Edit: I also mentioned about the fact I have promoted many gigs at the venue o n my musicinmanchester website and if security dosn't improve I may have to reconsider my position as a responsible online internet publisher

 

Chorlton

A number of my friends live or have lived in Chorlton. One used to have a Golf VR6. It was "liberated" so many times he resorted to putting life-size cardboard cutouts of people in his living room at night and leaving the light on.

Worked a treat.

 

Stickman

Where's you from?

A minority of individuals can give the majority of their community a bad name. Bet your nearest big city is not imune to this.....

Chris.Gally

 

Yep its annoying when these people may an area look rough. I know most the neighbours I know are decent working people with good jobs and have paid a lot of money of their houses you expect peice and quiet for that.

I know even areas like Cheadle which has many million pound mansions have problems with scallies coming in from Wyhtenshawe, my cousin was recently beaten up to pulp in Cheadle as these scallies asked him to take them to Wyhtenshawe, when he refused he got beaten up so badly he spent 2 days in hospital. He still has problems now as a reuslt of this and probably needs an operation. The police still don't know who did it.

I think the police need to be a lot tougher on petty crime that effects people, such as drunks, muggings, burgeries etc.

 

Chris. Born just outside of Manchester. Lived 2/3 of my life in Manchester, 1/3 in Leeds. I moved out of Manchester earlier this year.

Having lived in Withington, Didsbury, Burnage, Heaton Moor and Heaton Norris - and spent a lot of my nights out either in the city centre or Withington/Didsbury, I'm all too familiar with Manchester's finest.

Leeds has a different atmosphere, there doesn't seem to be as high a percentage of lowlifes as there is in Manchester.

As you say, wherever you live these days, there does appear to be a problem minority.

 

You can't be too far from here stickman... from your description you must be somewhere around mossley? I'm currently looking for somewhere to buy somewhere around this area, ideally in saddleworth, marsden or ripponden.

 

Hi,

One of the downsides of Manchester is it does have a high crime. So you will get more crimes about compared with similar size cities. It is usually a very small minority doing certain crimes but a larger number doing anti socal behaviour. The downside is that a large number of these people never get caught.

A lot of the high crime rate is down to poor policing. For far too long the policing in many cities has not been up to scratch. Even so called nice areas of Manchester can be worst than so called bad areas of others cities. As a rule, car crime is much worst in cities due to there being more cars & poor detection rates. These bump up ther crime figures.

A lot depends on what the city, council, local policeforce & government are prepare to do about it.

Hi AT,

Bad security at gigs & venues is nothing new. You did the right thing to complain. It would help if you can get others to complain as well. The price you paid to get in should cover any security costs. Moshing can be common at gigs, so a number of people will expect some shuffling. But if things get bad, the security should be on hand to step in.

SCIDB

 

don't you think thats a bit harsh on the Police? high crime rates are first and foremost down to citizens breaking the law!

 

violence seems to be part of the great british night out now. almost every time i've been out i've seen some sort of barney. this is one reason why i don;t go out that much and if i do, i go to places with pretty harsh door policies. at least then there is some sort of idiot filter in place - still doesn;t garuntee an agro free night but better than nothing.
cheers


julian

 

I always expect a bit of moshing but when people start a fight with the security guard and then the security guard has to push them off the stage into the audience it is not somthing you would expect anywhere yet alone in a venue run by a charity.

 

That may be, but the sheer couldn't-care-less attitude that the Police display is what makes it a continuing matter.

 

The last time I saw any serious violence at a gig was when a bunch of fascists invaded a Redskins gig in about 1984. I arrived home with a boot print on my forehead. The fascists came out worse.

You don't get this kind of behaviour at the Royal Festival Hall, you know...

-- Ian

 

You boys should be glad you didn't go to some of the punk gigs back in the day!!

Saw the Dead Kennedys once at Leeds Poly - there was a really heavy on-stage security bloke who'd hit anyone who came on stage with his metal torch.. The band "helped" him off stage, then the crowd "explained" to him the error of his ways.. He didn't work security again..

The worst I went to though was The Id and The Modernaires at Chester Gateway Theatre.. PLenty punks and plenty Mods meant huge fisticuffs - the police didn't turn up for nearly an hour which meant nice full casualty at the Infirmary!

 

Just found this about the shooting on Saturday... Sound like a friendly kind of chap..

http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk/news/s/136/136960_reds_thug_is_shot_in_busy_pub.html

As for violent concerts... Redman and DasEfx around 10 years ago in Bradford. They turn up 2 hours late, stoned and barely able to put two words together. The crowd were not too plesased, so when Redman stage dived, everyone wanted a piece of him. He got back up on stage, threw up and stormed off. The place just desended into chaos... Mass brawls inside the club. Mass chases outside the club (i managed to seek refuge in a pizza place and was allowed to leave by the emergency exit as the front door was a litte blocked!!!!).

The venues idea of security was serious heavies with big, nasty, snarling dogs. NICE.
Never saw any police. Didn't hang around long enough.

Chris.Gally