And Finally Artist News

Cambridge no match for the sonic force of UB40

By | Published on Thursday 17 April 2014

UB40

A number of people in Cambridge have complained about the noise at a UB40 gig in the city. Not people disturbed by it outside the venue though, these are people who’d bought tickets and were very much inside the Cambridge Corn Exchange on Monday night.

The complaints started with a woman who told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: “It was just horrendously loud – the bass was vibrating even in the foyer. There were so many people walking out because they couldn’t deal with it. It was vibrating through your whole body – it was actually altering heart rhythms”.

As well as “altering heart rhythms”, she added that it had caused her ears to bleed. Actually bleed. And all of this took place in the space of less than one song, because that was the amount of time she was able to tolerate it.

Though of course she did stop long enough to note that the bass was “vibrating even in the foyer”. Mind you, it’s probably worth noting that the Cambridge Corn Exchange is a very old building, and the foyer is directly attached to the main room by a not particularly thick wall, so it being affected by what’s happening on stage isn’t exactly surprising. Not that I’m suggesting the person who complained doesn’t go out and see live music very often (I am).

Still, another caller said that “the bass crashed into you like a steam train”, and a further complainant claimed that it had given them a headache, thus rendering the whole thing “a waste of money”.

A spokesperson for the band apologised to the original caller for the fact that her “night was spoiled”, and offered her VIP tickets for a show in Wolverhampton. The venue added that it adheres to “strict health and safety guidelines” and makes earplugs available to those who want them. Although that’s not going to stop any music from changing the pattern of your heartbeat.

By the way, I probably should have said earlier, this was a gig by UB40, not UB40.



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