The newly revived Under a Waxing Spoon, due to take place at the Smalltown Area Sports Hub (SASH) on Saturday, has fallen foul of both ticket holders and the All-New-Yet-Unimproved Somerset Cuonty Council Licensing and Environmental Protection teams.
Whilst the SASH bar already holds a licence to sell alcohol, it does not extend outside of the building, meaning that organiser, Bob Holness, has had to submit an application for a Temporary Event Notice (TEN).
The rather late submission and the lack of full details regarding the event alarmed the Head of Licensing and Environmental Protection Officers at ANYUSCC, who felt that the event needed further scrutiny and would benefit from having stringent conditions attached to any TEN issued.
Mr Holness, of Showboat Detractions, and owner of what is claimed to be The World’s Largest Bar and Burger Van has been hoping to make a vast profit from sales of alcohol but has been restricted to putting a fence around the Bar and Burger Van and only allowing the consumption of alcohol in that area. Unfortunately, no under 18s will be allowed access to the fenced off bar area, so any families who have purchased tickets allowing them to bring their offspring with them will be seriously disappointed.
In addition, Mr Holness has had to spread the word that ticket holders must NOT bring their own alcohol onto the site and a team of security staff will be searching bags and coats to check for illicit moonshine. This has led to serious grumbles from would-be attendees who had purchased their tickets believing they could take their own alcohol on site. Many are already trying to work out the best way to sneak alcohol into the SASH ground, with many favouring the vodka-in-water-bottle trick. Mr Holness has advised that the price of a pint on offer to the captive audience will be ‘around £5’, but if he decides to increase that on the day it is likely that he could face a riot.
In its hey-day the event used to attract around 500 people, but this year organisers claimed to have 2000 tickets for sale, however for the purpose of the TEN application this figure had been downgraded to 1000, unfortunately a TEN can only be granted for a total of 499 people on site – a number which includes staff, performers and audience. Mr Holness has recently claimed that over 800 tickets have been sold, a figure which seems unlikely however, if true, then he is already in breach of the TEN, and numbers could still increase thanks to ANYUSCC’s demand that free tickets for locals living beside the site be made available. .
Meanwhile, anyone hoping to spend an afternoon listening to loud rock music will be sorely disappointed, as the TEN restricts noise to 70 decibels (the equivalent of a washing machine on full spin). The average outdoor music event has a decibel range of 90-100 dB, equivalent to a motorcycle. Luckily Metalicker aren’t on the bill, because their performances regularly top 126 decibels.
The TEN for Under A Waxing Moon precludes the sale of tickets on the gate and anyone without a ticket making a last minute decision to go is advised to quickly purchase one as they stand in the queue waiting to have their bags searched.
Meanwhile as the Preferred Media Partner for Pride – a Unique Diverse Event (PRUDE) SomersetClive is duty bound to report that PRUDE, taking place on the same day in Chateau Gardens on the same day is free to attend, even though most of us have purchased tickets to Waxing Spoon.