As if promoting parties in London wasn’t hard enough, the practice might become next to impossible in the near future. According to U.K. paper the Independent, a new piece of legislation could pass that would force venues to hand over gobs of information about artists and performers that includes real names, aliases, private addresses, phone numbers, what type of crowd is likely to appear at the event, and expected genres of music.
From Independent‘s site:
“The police say they need the information demanded on Form 696, which runs to eight pages, so they can pinpoint which acts and venues attract troublemakers, and make sure venues are safe.”
Apparently, it could spell serious trouble for live music in the U.K. capital. Martin Rawlings, director of the Pub and Beer Association, told the paper: “I know of licensees faced with this [legislation] saying they are just not going to put live music on.”
Former punk star and Undertones singer Feargal Sharkey has verbalized his concerns over the issue. There is also a Facebook group and a petition running on the 10 Downing Street website protesting the form.
Pictured: The Undertones.
