A gig-goer who described her experience of a Paolo Nutini concert in Manchester as “horrendous” claims she is still waiting to hear back from the venue after filing a complaint. Claire Middleton from Eccles, attended the gig at 02 Victoria Warehouse on October 22 and has sent three emails to the venue since then, receiving only an automatic reply.
Claire was one of several fans at the gig who spoke about alleged overcrowding and people passing out and having to be carried out the venue. Some branded the gig ‘unsafe’, while others raised issues with the sound and not being able to see the stage.
At the time, Claire, who bought her tickets from a resale site, told the Manchester Evening News : “We tried to walk into the main area so we could watch the concert, but it was so crowded. Everyone pushing.
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"So unsafe, even the area where disabled people were was unsafe. There was nowhere they could [have] got out at all. We had to fight our way back out of the crowd and stand near the bar area.”
Another Nutini fan, who attended with his girlfriend but asked not be named, said the gig, “was a nightmare”. He added: “My partner burst into tears 20 minutes in, she was so upset - she is a massive Nutini fan. We were originally under the mezzanine but we had to leave that spot ten minutes in as we didn't feel safe."
He also claimed that the venue felt like it had 'no air circulation... so we were boiling and lots of people passed out'. He also described the stewards nearby as being like 'a chocolate fireguard and didn't do anything unless alerted'.
The next day (Sunday, October 23), Claire says she wrote to the venue to give them feedback on the gig. She wrote: “It was one of the most horrendous experiences we have ever experienced. It has left me deflated and upset, I wished I set fire to the £100 we spent on the tickets as the money would have been better spent!”
In the first email she says she had to move several times, was ‘barged out the way’, and a man allegedly pushed her husband and told him to ‘f*** off’. She also alleges that there was no security around to stop someone from smoking inside the venue.
“In the first email I just outlined our experience, all the events that had happened on the night. Then the next week, when the M.E.N article came out on the Wednesday I sent them another email showing them the piece and saying that it wasn’t just me that felt that way about the gig.
“And then on Monday, November 14, I sent another email just asking for the complaints procedure. The only response I have had was an automated one on October 26 saying we will aim to respond in the next five days, and since then I’ve heard nothing.”
Reflecting on the gig, Claire also told the Manchester Evening News that she and her husband were “repeatedly shoved" and “forced to move”. She added: “Because it’s such a big venue you just don’t expect to get crushed - it was relentless, wherever we moved it was the same problem. You couldn’t see the stage because it was so packed in there, it was boiling because everyone was so packed in.
“The security were all packed around where the toilets were and basically nowhere to be seen in the actual venue itself. Then somebody lit up, it’s non-smoking inside obviously, so a guy two or three rows in front of us just started smoking a cigarette, and nobody stopped him.”
“We’ve been to gigs at the Albert Hall and The Ritz and they are standing venues and we’ve never had any issues like this. They just really packed people in, I understand he’s not played in a number of years and it will be sold out but it felt dangerous. I felt there was no hope of anybody getting out if something serious would have happened.”
Claire says that she still wants the venue to look into the matter further. “The ideal solution would be that they recognise that there needs to be a system implemented where there is a pathway to get out of the venue, to the bar and toilets and so on. But also look at the venue capacity and be more realistic, from a health and safety aspect.”
In a statement addressing complaints in the days after the gig, a spokesperson for the O2 Victoria Warehouse said: "The venue operation has numerous robust control measures in place and a highly experienced management, security and medic team.
"The two Paolo Nutini shows on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 October were both sell-out performances at 3,500 capacity, however, there were no reported incidents, medical or otherwise at either show. Any customer queries should be directed to the venue management team who will respond accordingly."
The 02 Victoria Warehouse has been approached for comment about the delay with responding to Claire's complaint.
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