Last Dinner Party 'appalled' by security checks on male fans
The Last Dinner Party cancelled their Lincoln gig at the last-minute, after their support acts had already performed
- Published
The Last Dinner Party say they're "appalled and disappointed" after a venue enforced a security policy which audience members say discriminated against men, especially those who were alone.
Some fans claim they were taken aside by door staff at The Engine Shed in Lincoln on Saturday and asked what they were doing at the show and whether they were real fans.
The venue has apologised, saying the policy was in response to information they'd received about "incidents" at a previous gig, but they acknowledged it resulted in "the unacceptable treatment of some guests".
The Last Dinner Party pulled out of the gig at the last minute, because one of the band was unwell.
Kam Zaki, 46, was at the show on Saturday and says he was pulled aside by security and told that if he didn't consent to being searched, he'd have to leave.
Speaking to BBC Newsbeat, he describes the search as "thorough".
"They took everything out of my pockets, they went through my wallet including the coin pouch, they searched my shoes," he says.
He says he was also asked questions including: "How long have you liked the band? What's your favourite song? How many times have you seen them before?"
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'Over the top'
Kam, who lives in Brighton, had travelled to Lincoln for the gig as it was the only date he could see the band without having to take time off work.
He says he was "fuming" when the search and questioning finally finished after 5-10 minutes.
"I appreciate they're trying to create a safe space," he says. "But it was over-the-top and definitely discriminatory against men who come alone."
Other fans on social media reported similar experiences.
One user on X said the questions made him feel "like he was on Mastermind" while another said he felt "sick" after being "interrogated".
The Last Dinner Party's upcoming UK shows are all sold out
The Last Dinner Party said fans were "understandably" left "feeling uncomfortable and disrespected".
"Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend our shows," they said.
"We are appalled and disappointed that anyone was made to feel otherwise.
"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."
The band also apologised for cancelling the show at short notice due to "sudden illness".
The Engine Shed didn't provide any more details about what had happened at the previous gig they referenced in their statement and BBC Newsbeat has contacted them for further information.
The band had previously played in Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield and Norwich, but police forces in all of those areas told Newsbeat they’d had no reports linked to any of the venues.
'Ad hoc'
The Engine Shed, which is based at The University of Lincoln, says it will review all the reports of what happened and encouraged anyone who felt discriminated against to get in touch.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the venue said its door policy "requires all attendees to be treated equally and subject to the same entry requirements".
They said they carried out an "urgent preliminary investigation" on Sunday which suggested the door policy had been changed "ad hoc".
"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".
The Last Dinner Party said it had not been informed of the changes to door policy, saying they do "not reflect our beliefs and would not have been implemented had we been made aware of them in advance".
They welcomed the venue's apology and investigation as well as "further staff training to ensure this doesn't happen again".
The Last Dinner Party, who won BBC Radio 1's Sound of 2024, cancelled their Lincoln gig at the last minute after their support acts had already played their sets.
They also had to cancel a gig in Cardiff on Sunday.
Kam says even if the Lincoln gig is rescheduled, he'll be asking for a refund because of how he was treated.
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- Published5 January
