The Undertones-Teenage Kicks

London Metropolitan police are now requiring concert promotors to fill out an eight page long form with detailed information on performers and the expected ethnicity of the audience. Failure to do so could result in imprisonment. I am not making this up.

Form 696 compels licensees who want to hold live music events in 21 London Boroughs to report to the names, addresses, aliases and telephone numbers of performers, and controversially, the likely ethnicity of their audience.

I’m guessing they would be forgiving should the Royal Opera House forget to fill out the form. But then again, perhaps not, as they must guard against the possibility of crazed opera fans running into the streets yelling “Bravo.”

Feargal Sharkey, who rose to fame during the punk era as the vocalist on the single “Teenage Kicks” by the Undertones, is so angry about what he sees as a threat to live music that he is consulting lawyers about how to stop it.

Good. Can’t imagine punk could have ever taken hold in London had onerous concert regulations like Form 696 been in effect.

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