The Last Dinner Party address security incident at Lincoln Engine Shed gig

30 September, 2024

The Last Dinner Party have issued a statement following reports circulating on social media about the conduct of the security staff at their cancelled Lincoln gig this weekend.

The band were due to play The Engine Shed in Lincoln on Saturday (September 28), but the show was cancelled shortly before they were supposed to take to the stage due to a member of the band falling ill. Their show in Cardiff the following night (September 29) was also postponed.

However, prior to the show’s cancellation, numerous men took to social media to complain that, upon trying to enter the venue, they had been questioned extensively by The Engine Shed’s staff 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, later adding that he had also been asked what his favourite song by the band was.

The Engine Shed responded to the reports on Sunday (September 29), saying that a change to security measures was carried out “after information was provided to our security team about incidents at previous The Last Dinner Party gigs.” The venue apologised to those affected and said they had carried out an independent investigation into the incident.

In a statement, they wrote: “As an urgent measure, we will also be implementing further staff training on our door entry policy to ensure that this cannot happen again.” They are also encouraging anyone who feels they have been discriminated against to reach out.

Now, The Last Dinner Party have addressed the situation. In a statement shared to Twitter/X, they wrote: “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.

“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.

They went on to say: “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. The venue has since apologised, and assured us that measures are being taken to prevent this from happening again at future shows.”

The band insisted that everyone is “welcome and encouraged” to attend their 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,” they wrote.

The band also apologised for the last-minute cancellation due to a “sudden illness within the band” that was “not foreseen”, and concluded the statement, saying: “Thanks again for all your support. It means more than you’ll ever know.”

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.”

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