Lincoln’s Engine Shed apologises for treatment of ‘interrogated’ fans at cancelled The Last Dinner Party gig
A music venue has apologised for the ‘unacceptable treatment’ of guests at a cancelled gig this weekend.
Solo male revellers attending a The Last Dinner Party gig at Lincoln’s Engine Shed complained of being ‘interrogated’ by security on Saturday night.
The gig featuring the all-female indie group - famous for songs such as Nothing Matters and Sinner - was cancelled at the last minute due to a band member unexpedly falling ill, but some guests felt more enraged by their treatment.
“Been funnelled into a dark corner with other men, told I might be a pervert cus I’m alone and then taken into a room alone with a security guard where I was interrogated and searched. Feel sick,” one attendee wrote on X.
Another added: “I rocked up there at 8.45pm on my own, no queue. I got asked how long I had liked them for, and to name my favourite song.
“I thought it was a bit strange and the first time I’ve ever felt like I’m on Mastermind to get into a gig,”
A statement posted on social media by the venue said management made an ‘ad-hoc change’ to policy after information was provided to security.
However, a statement issued by the band said ‘those policies were created and enforced by the venue at their own discretion’.
“We pride ourselves on and are committed to operating a safe, secure, inclusive, and welcoming venue for all our guests,” the Engine Shed’s statement read.
“We are aware of reports on social media that the entry procedure utilised at The Last Dinner Party on September 28 fell far short of our venue entry policy, which requires all attendees to be treated equally and be subject to the same entry requirements.
“We have urgently carried out a preliminary investigation today, which indicates that after information was provided to our security team about incidents at a previous The Last Dinner Party gig, the venue management team made an ad-hoc change to our policy.
“Although the policy was changed with the right intentions, this change resulted in the unacceptable treatment of some guests, and The Engine Shed would like to fully apologise to anyone affected.”
The statement added: “We have instigated an independent investigation that will review all of the reports and will make recommendations on actions to be taken.
“These recommendations will be implemented by our directors.
“As an urgent measure, we will also be implementing further staff training on our door entry policy to ensure that this cannot happen again.
“If you were affected by our entry policy at this event and felt discriminated against, please contact directors@engineshed.co.uk.”
A statement issued by the band said the treatment of guests ‘do not reflect our beliefs’.
“We've been made aware of some security policies implemented at our show in Lincoln on Saturday, that have understandably left many of our fans feeling uncomfortable and disrespected,” it read.
“We want to make it very clear that those policies were created and enforced by the venue at their own discretion, and were not made in consultation with us.
“They do not reflect our beliefs and would not have been implemented had we been made aware of them in advance.
“We understand the venue is currently conducting an urgent investigation into the reports surrounding the conditions of entry.
“Our shows are intended to be safe, welcoming spaces for everyone, which is something we deeply care about.
“Seeing inclusivity embraced by our fanbase is one of the best parts of performing live.”
It added: “Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend our shows. We are appalled and disappointed that anyone was made to feel otherwise.
“We welcome The Engine Shed's investigation and further staff training to ensure that this doesn't happen again.
“The cancellation of our show in Lincoln was due to a sudden illness within the band that we had obviously not foreseen, we apologise to all of you that were in attendance.”
