Getting Back to Gigs

When people ask me, ‘What are you most looking forward when everything is back to “normal”’? I straight away tell them I can’t wait to see some live music again.

The sensation of having a warm-to-cool drink in your hand (depending on the venue), the feeling of the sub rumbling through your chest, dancing and singing with strangers because of the connection that the music brings, what could possibly stop someone from being infinitely excited by these thoughts?

I’ll tell you. Sexual harassment.

30% of female UK festival-goers have been victim to a form of unwanted sexual behaviour, that figure rises to 43% when you look at women under the age of 40. On top of this, only 1% of women told festival staff at the time or after the event, that harassment had occurred. (Prescott-Smith, 2018)

How could someone want to see live music, let alone feel safe when they have been told “such incidents should be expected in crowds of this size” or had experiences where “security staff shrugged their shoulders and took no further action (Hill, Hesmondhalgh and Megson, 2019).

This is not what music is about, something needs to change, and it is not the women who have been made to suffer this abuse; it is everyone else present at these concerts, whose prerogative it should be to create an environment where women can have the standard of enjoyment that others take for granted. I wholly understand the mindset people may have of why change, if I'm having a good time. Let me present to you this thought, change does not mean stop having fun, or don’t drink etcetera. In this case it means being aware of what is going on around you, being present in the moment, appreciate that you are not a victim.

If someone being harassed on its own is not enough to provoke action from you, firstly ask yourself, what do you actually stand for, if not the wellbeing of another human being? But if you somehow do not find a problem with your character, then let the music be the bond between you and another fan, whoever that may be. Do not allow the music to become tainted with the horrible actions of someone else who claims to be there for the same reasons as you.

Understandably, people may feel like they are unsure as to what they can actually do in these situations; obviously prevention is better the cure, however, just because it is happening/has happened, it does not mean that there is nothing left to do.

At this part of the article, I would like to iterate that I am not an authority on the procedures you should take, merely someone who wants to raise the issue ahead of what I assume is a time filled with mixed emotions, whoever you may be.

There is an obscene amount that could be changed about the gigs we were going to before lockdown; from actions venues and promoters could take, to the standards we hold ourselves to as concert-goers. My enjoyment of a gig would not increase because I prevented the harassment of someone else, that is basic human decency, it is the standards that we should hold ourselves to and if you do not consider taking action when someone is being harassed, then as mentioned before, really evaluate yourself and ask yourself why not.

It’s all well and good me preaching about doing something, but what is there to actually do? I believe the best place to start as a gig-goer would be:

“When it is safe to do so, gig goers should call out their friends’ and others’ bad behaviour. If the person on the receiving end wishes it, contact should be made with the designated member of staff.” (Hill, 2018)

Not that this is a preventative measure, but it does begin to cultivate the correct culture that should be present at live music events; that any form of harassment is wrong and it will be scrutinised, especially by the people closest to you. Measures that could be taken to prevent harassment from happening include that gig-goers should:

“get involved in the development of policies, procedures and training for preventing and responding to unwanted sexual attention at the venues they attend.” (Hill, 2018)

Having the line of communication open between concert-goers and the people running the events is key, because only then will both parties understand the perspective of the other. Once that has been established, we can all work to create an environment that is not only safe but welcoming to all who wish to listen to music without encroaching on others’ experience.