«How long have you been following them?». «What is your favorite song?». These are the questions that some male people were asked before the Last Dinner Party concert at the Engine Shed in Lincoln, England. They were asked by the staff of the venue, where the band was supposed to perform on Saturday 28 September.
«As soon as I arrived at the concert» writes a user on X «I was taken into a dark corner with other men. They told me that because I came alone, I might be a pervert. They then took me to a room alone with a security guard where I was interrogated and searched.”
Other accounts are similar: “They asked me how long I've liked them and what my favorite song is. It was a bit strange to take a quiz to get into the concert.” Or: “I queued for seven hours to be in front because I'm 1.50 meters tall, but I was taken away, searched, they asked me questions, I didn't get to the barrier.”
In the end the show was canceled because one of the musicians was unwell (last night's concert was also cancelled). The venue explained the behavior in a statement in which it acknowledged that the “entry procedure did not comply with our policy” according to which “all members of the public must be treated equally”.
It was done for security reasons: the staff became aware of “problems that arose at previous Last Dinner Party concerts”. However, it is “not acceptable and the Engine Shed apologizes to anyone” who was subjected to that sort of interrogation.
The band, which has not commented but which in the past has said it wants to ensure that concerts are “safe spaces especially for women, non-binary people, queer people”, will return to perform in Italy on November 14 at the Teatro Regio of Parma.
