Despite adding untold billions into the economy of a country that has next to no manufacturing industry left, the UK live music business, which has boomed over the last five years or so, is facing potentially crippling new government legislation that has inspired a grass-roots petitioning frenzy.

Two proposals – one by the government, the other by the police – have seen nightclubs and live music venues desperately emailing their fans, urging them to sign petitions they hope will save an industry that has helped keep the UK on the world's music map for so long.

Only a week after Londoners said goodbye to the historic, and much-loved, Astoria venue (home to G-A-Y club, and the stage that graced everyone from Kylie to Nirvana) fans of live music are busy petitioning the government to protest the imminent introduction of noise-limiters – devices that would keep the decibel level at that of a “commercial hair-dryer” according to one campaign site. Anyone applying or re-applying for an entertainment license would have to fit such a device to stay in business. That would include pubs, clubs, and dedicated live music venues.

Not cool for a country that attracts tourists on the strength of its live music. It’s not like they come for the weather, or the food.

UK clubs, famous around the world, already waved goodbye to the trusty strobe light years ago (Germany is still keeping that dream alive, thank God), and the lowered noise limit would effectively shut down a whole swathe of venues, the promoters and owners say, much the same way that many UK pubs are shutting every day due to stringent new legislation.

The Music Producers Guild have taken to the web, saying…

“This will be the final nail in the coffin for pretty much ALL entertainment in the UK as the level at which these devices cut the power off is ridiculously low. In our experience any venue that has one in use cannot have any electric music as the power is constantly being cut mid-song - and even loud applause at the end of a song can cut it… Venues are suffering enough as it is without being forced to go to the expense of fitting one of these damned things.”

“Noise limiters are a menace to live music, and we expect this is the bright idea of some unelected suit in Brussels that's never been to a gig in their life… A bland 'bore-o-crat no doubt, preferring to watch MTV unplugged and thinking this idea might just help the current sales of our 'solo career' one man band Gov't and its huge major negative popularity with the youth and all else out there.”


The police on the other hand have already introduced the controversial Form 696 into 21 London boroughs in an attempt to combat ‘black on black’ gang crime at gigs. The document is a risk assessment form that requires promoters to provide information on all booked performers, 14 days in advance appearing, and to predict the “target audience” for the event, but campaigners insist that Form 696 is inherently racist.

Reverend and the Makers frontman Jon McClure has set up a petition, telling the BBC…

"For me, it is an attack on local promoters because it makes their job increasingly difficult, but also, it's a bit of a racist tool used by the London Met and other boroughs. For what purpose does the ethnicity of an audience matter in modern day society? Nothing."


The police, who have to deal with gang crime every day, call this naïve…

"You have particular gangs aligned to particular types of music and that obviously created an environment where rival gangs would target them… It wasn't about the music, it wasn't about the venue, it wasn't about the promotion, it was because gangs were associated with those particular events."


UK rapper Sway disagrees, telling NME...

"When you start making it about colour it becomes a problem," he said. "You need security at hip-hop gigs but not because of the ethnicity of the people going. Rap is geared towards young people, who are more likely to be involved in fights – not just black people."


Head of UK Music and the former Undertones singer, Feargal Sharkey, has taken the issue to the Equality and Human Rights Commission…

"We are already aware of a number of pubs that have had this now attached as a mandatory condition to their licence, which means if the landlord of that pub does not give that information, he is then in breach of his licence."

He also points out that Jarvis Cocker would not be free to do this anymore...



Petitions didn't stop the tone-deaf government closing the Astoria, amongst other cherished venues, so this is scary stuff – unless you’re a folk musician planning a lifetime of acoustic gigs.