"I nearly passed out on stage," musician and photographer Joel Arthur is saying of a show he played at Sheffield's Corporation during a heatwave in September 2023. "I made sure to drink so much water, but you get to a point where you're nearly drowning yourself. No matter what, you're basically cooking yourself alive."
For music fans, few weeks would have been worse timing for a heatwave than this one. As ever, the last full week of June is jammed full of shows. The road to Wembley Stadium will turn rainbow-coloured and sequinned for Harry Styles' continued Together, Together residency (fun fact: these shows will be raising huge sums for the grassroots levy with £1 coming from each of the million or so tickets!). The stadium is adapting slightly by allowing fans to bring their own water bottles in to fill up at free water points. They're also selling half price water at the bars and offering free suncream stations.
“We also ask all guests coming to Wembley Stadium this week to stay hydrated, take regular breaks in shaded areas, wear sun cream, use the free water fountains available on all levels of the stadium including the pitch area, and dress accordingly. Wear loose, breathable clothing and consider head covering or hat,” a stadium spokesperson told IQ.
Meanwhile, the Music Venue Trust is uniting grassroots venues across the country for the inaugural Everywhere At Once festival that we've discussed in recent newsletters.
Ordinarily this week would be Glastonbury week. but looking at the weather forecast, it's more than a small mercy that it's a fallow year...
The definition of sweatbox is being rewritten as we speak. Temperature records for June have been smashed in the UK, only to be broken the next day - now reaching a provisional high of 36.4C. Amber and red extreme heat warnings have been issued and train companies have advised against all but essential travel. Most ironically of all, an event about how to adapt to extreme heat has been cancelled due to... extreme heat.
I'm surprised more events aren't being cancelled, like they might be in the event of storms or snow. The only UK events I've seen cancelled have been at Banquet Records at Kingston-upon-Thames, particularly in light of warnings about unnecessary travel.
Looking at various news sources, even in Europe where the temperatures are even hotter than here, there are very few events this weekend that have been postponed. Defqon.1 in Netherlands is off, and according to The Guardian some events aren't happening in France where the temperature is likely to be over 42C, which is dangerously several degrees above our 37C body temperature.
The Berliner reports that there are some mitigations, rather than cancellations, in Berlin this weekend where it's forecast to be 40C:
The Waldbühne has also changed its regulations; for Saturday evening’s season-ending concert of the Berlin Philharmonic, everyone is allowed to bring in two 0,5l drinks, food in transparent packaging and pocket umbrellas to protect from the sun, among other things. The organizers have increased the planned number of medical staff on site and will arrange water dispensers. Similarly, for Friday’s Bruno Mars concert, you can bring non-alcoholic beverages of up to 1 litre as well as handheld fans.
Most of the time, it seems venues are ploughing on with the show, likely because it is the only option. "It's very difficult to cancel shows," Arthur - who plays in the band Broken; Narrative - continues, "even if you planned ahead and you didn't think it was going to be that hot. It's so difficult to cancel because every show costs. Every penny counts. Sometimes you have to risk the heat exhaustion. Schools are closing across the UK and public places might close but shows will still go ahead because we can't afford to not play."
There's also always the risk that bands playing festivals could be facing what is essentially a very hot workplace. Only last summer, I saw an artist who usually performs barefoot yell for some shoes to be brought because the stage was burning the soles of her feet.
"My hands were so sweaty I dropped my sticks at least twice," says Alannagh Doherty, drummer of Venus Grrrls, of a festival show she played in 2022. "My bandmates also couldn’t see their pedalboards because the sun was directly on them with zero protection. I was also blind for a good bit of the gig as the sun hits the stage perfectly and I couldn’t see anything."
There'll be countless others working at festivals or in venues who have to press on with work too - touring crew, stewards, other members of staff - in potentially unsafe conditions.
Then, there are the fans who have spent money and have been thinking ahead to the experience potentially for months. Many are bound to still make the trek out even if they're drenched in sweat by the time they've made it inside or have risked passing out, but for those with underlying health conditions made worse by the heat, it might mean travelling to a show is a complete non-starter. Inevitably, there'll be losses for the venue too if more people stay away whether because it's dangerous for them or simply too unpleasant, amounting to reduced takings at the bar and merch table.
Does it have to be like this? Absolutely not. The problem is that legally and societally, whether out of fear or ignorance, we refuse to adapt or rethink as the earth continues heating up. If this week is going to prove anything, it is how necessary those are. It's a fundamental worker's rights issue, not to mention an issue that could prompt those in government to take the climate crisis as seriously as it deserves to be.
As many people will have discovered this week, there is no maximum temperature threshold for working conditions in the UK. The Climate Change Committee (CCC) recommended introducing one around the time of the May heatwave, but nonetheless employers are required, under more vague terms, to properly manage risks to health and safety and extreme heat is technically a hazard. Shockingly, according to the Heat Strike campaign, unions have been campaigning for this as far back as 2008. One of their demands is to make it illegal to work in temperatures of over 30 degrees, or 27 degrees for strenuous work.
"The most important legal measures are ones that recognise that extreme heat is a serious public health concern and workplace safety concern as well," explains climate activist Tori Tsui, who previously appeared on the Drowned In Sound podcast. "I think it requires us to have some pretty strong protections for workers who may be exposed to high temperatures or legally enforce heat action plans and cancel events that are taking place in areas without ventilation. I think there should be minimum standards for cooling and ventilation in public buildings and in housing and public transport with really clear, defined duties that local authorities and employees can enact in order to protect the general public during heat waves."
The performers' union Equity has joined TUC in campaigning for this too. Equity have also laid out a list of guidelines for those working in theatres, which could also apply to performers in live music venues: limiting rehearsal times to cooler parts of the day, turning off lighting rigs when they're not in use, minimising strenuous choreography.
It's also imperative for there to be changes to insurance policies too so there isn't a loss to the artists who do wish to cancel. If they can cancel for other types of extreme weather, especially when it affects public transport and limits fans' access to gigs, then they should be compensated if heat makes playing live unsafe too. As it stands, artists would forfeit their fee if they cancelled due to heat of their own volition, even if this is in the interest of protecting fans as much as themselves.
In short, it's time to adapt, and to adapt fast. "The increase in frequency and of intensity of heat waves show that climate adaptation can't really be an afterthought anymore," continues Tsui. "Reducing emissions is super, super essential. When the government fails to prioritise climate adaptation, it leaves so many people vulnerable, not just those who are already predisposed to suffering at the hands of extreme heat."
The World Health Organisation has more info on the science of why being this hot is bad and what to do about it.
Artists call for a Fossil Fuel Treaty
On a related note, over 200 artists worldwide, including Jane Fonda, Brian Eno, Robert Smith, and Susan Sarandon, have signed an open letter which stresses the need for a global Fossil Fuel Treaty.
The treaty will move to “end fossil fuel expansion, phase out existing production in an equitable manner, and invest in a just and sustainable future” and Tsui, who was quoted above, has also been involved in bringing it to life.
Other long-time supporters include Emma Watson, Mark Ruffalo, Massive Attack, and Coldplay. Andy Burnham, our potential future PM, has signed it too. If this means we could expect more decisive action from his possible premiership, that would be extremely welcome.
Welcome back Barfly!
Camden's legendary 200-cap venue Barfly is officially back in business, celebrating its re-opening on Monday night with a gig from none other than an artist who might well be one of the patron saints of venues, Frank Turner.
The original venue opened in 1996 before shuttering in 2016 due to financial pressures and Camden Assembly operated in its place on Chalk Farm Road ever since. It's re-opening under new ownership, helmed by Dan Ickowitz-Seidler and Richard Buck of Propaganda Independent Venues, as well as local resident Chris McCormack.
I never got to go to the original Barfly before it closed and I only went to one gig when it was known as the Camden Assembly. I'm curious to see what will happen. Will I end up there more often? Will it shift the centre of gravity among small venues in London away from East and back to North? Regardless, venues existing and thriving will always be a beneficial thing.
StubHub gets told to cough up
Ticket resale site StubHub has been fined £900,000 and ordered to refund 51,000 customers for implementing "drip pricing", which involves them not showing full prices of tickets at the time of booking and only revealing hidden service and delivery fees just before the transaction is completed.
Emma Cochrane, the executive director of consumer protection at the Competition and Markets Authority, said: “Hitting customers with hidden fees is illegal. It’s not fair to draw people in with what looks like a good deal, only for them to find the real price is higher when they get to the checkout due to extra charges that can’t be avoided.”
“Our message to businesses is simple: be transparent on costs or risk CMA action. Going to a live gig or sports game is an event many people save for – and our action today means thousands of fans will get back money taken unfairly through hidden fees.”
Adam Webb of the FanFair Alliance added: "These fines levied against StubHub UK for drip pricing should be welcomed.
"However, such illegal practices are only the tip of the iceberg. Over recent years, FanFair Alliance has repeatedly reported far more serious offences to the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA), where ticket touting websites including StubHub UK and viagogo have facilitated large-scale fraud and systematic breaches of consumer protection laws.
"Regulators should not turn a blind eye to these wider issues. Today's developments only highlight the urgent need for a root and branch investigation into the anti-consumer practices of offshore ticket resale websites, and for the UK Government to fast-track their long-promised ban on ticket touting."
Right, that's all for this week. Public transport infrastructure allowing, I'm now heading up to Manchester for hardcore festival Outbreak. Yes, I'll stay hydrated and will be slathering on the sunscreen. Keep an eye out for my reporting on that here or over at Kerrang!
Bye for now,
Emma