The Engine Shed in Lincoln have issued a statement following reports circulating on social media about the conduct of the security staff at The Last Dinner Party‘s show last night (September 28).
Numerous men had said on social media that they had been questioned extensively by staff at the venue over their knowledge of the band.
“Just arrived at the gig, 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 man claimed on X/Twitter, whose post has gone viral.
He added in comments that he had been asked what his favourite song by the band was.
Others in the comments said that they had had similar experiences. “I rocked up there tonight at 8.45 on my own, no queue, I got asked how long I had liked them for, and to name my favourite song,” another man said. “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. Now I’ve read this I understand why now.”
A third said: “queued for 7 hours to get to barrier as i am 4′ 11′, got whisked away, searched, asked condescending questions, didn’t get to barrier, best not, show cancelled.”
Just arrived at the gig, 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
— Dan (@alittlebitdan) September 28, 2024
I rocked up there tonight at 8.45 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. Now I've read this I understand why now
— Paul (@Hazy_Rhythms) September 28, 2024
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same here, i queued for 7 hours to get to barrier as i am 4' 11', got whisked away, searched, asked condescending questions, didn't get to barrier, best not, show cancelled
— Kam Zaki (@kamgigs) September 28, 2024
The show was cancelled before The Last Dinner Party was supposed to have taken to the stage due to a member of the band falling ill. Their show in Cardiff tonight (September 29) has also been postponed.
Now, The Engine Shed has responded to the claims.
In a statement posted to their social media, they said: “We pride ourselves and are committed to operating a safe, secure, inclusive and welcoming venue for all our guests.
“We are aware of reports on social media that the entry procedure utilised at The Last Dinner Party on September 28 fell short of our venue entry policy, which requires all attendees to be treated equally and subject to the same entry requirements.
re: security at the lincoln show via the engine shed’s instagram pic.twitter.com/AxplK7QZas
— the last dinner party archives (@tldparchives) September 29, 2024
“We have today carried out a preliminary investigation, which indicates that after information was provided to our security team about incidents at previous The Last Dinner Party gigs, the venue management team made an ad-hoc change to our policy. Although this policy was changed with the right intentions, it is clear that this change resulted in the treatment of some guests, which was not acceptable, and The Engine Shed would like to fully apologise to anyone affected.”
They continued: “We have instigated an independent investigation that will review all of the reports and will make recommendations on actions to be taken which 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.”
The Engine Shed encouraged anyone who felt they had been discriminated against to reach out.
NME has reached out to representatives of The Last Dinner Party for comment.
The Last Dinner Party’s sold-out UK and Ireland headline tour is set to continue in Birmingham on Tuesday (October 1). The tour is in support of their 2024 Mercury Prize-nominated debut album ‘Prelude To Ecstasy’.
In other news, the band recently spoke to NME at the 2024 Mercury Prize, and recalled how they managed to build a “sense of community” with their fans.
While on the red carpet for the event, bassist Georgia Davies and guitarist Emily Roberts caught up with NME, and explained what it was like to see their first record resonate with fans on such a vast scale.
“A lot of people seem to connect with the themes of the album,” Davies said when asked what they’re most proud of. “There are kids who were ostracised in school for their sexuality or the way that they presented [themselves] with their appearance or the music they were into. They now feel like they’ve found a sense of community in us.”
“That’s always a very beautiful and very moving thing to experience when people tell you [that],” she added. “It’s very emotional.”