In the last couple of years punters have been complaining about “airport style” security checks at music venues. Bouncers scanning IDs and lengthy body searches leading to longer waiting times have caused many to become disgruntled, however the recent attacks in Paris may change the minds of those who don’t like the idea of taking their passport out for a night of listening to music.
On November 13th in Paris, seven coordinated terrorist attacks were carried out by members of the extremist group ISIS, killing 130 people. The targets were restaurants and bars, the most deadly being at the Bataclan music venue, where 89 people were shot dead during an Eagles of Death Metal gig. The attackers, armed with shotguns and explosive belts, led a siege that lasted two and a half hours.
The band have since described the horrific scenes in a heart-wrenching interview, where they talked about explosions causing the building to shake, and the deaths of revelers who didn’t want to leave their friends.
Lead singer Jesse Hughes declared he wants his band to be the first to play live when Bataclan reopens in 2016, saying “I want to go back there and live.”
In June they played at Koko in Camden, a venue with a similar capacity to Bataclan’s. So in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, what does this mean for London? Should venues implement extra security measures?
On December 1st a campaign took place for Londoners to take the Eurostar to Paris and eat and drink their way around the French capital, so should we in fact make a point of going out more than ever, rather than give in to fear?
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