Tory politician Nigel Adams has made a case for flares to be banned from gigs and festivals. And he’s not talking about the wide bottomed popular-in-the-sixties style trousers.
Flares, fireworks and smoke bombs have been banned from football matches since 1985, although the occasional incendiary does get sneaked through – where the venues operate under the regular rule of law.
Because music events are usually held on private land, this means that they are not subject to the same regulations. This allows attendees to be a little freer with their usage of flares to create a little bit of a bohemian atmosphere alongside the big flags and fire-eaters.
According to a report in Billboard, Adams cites 255 incidents involving such incendiary devices occurring at music events in 2014, with only 3 reports at football grounds during the same period.
He states “many people I talk to are stunned to find out that carrying and deploying flares and fireworks in a crowd at a live music event is not banned, unlike at football matches where spectators can count on the protection of the law.”
Festival big wigs Live Nation are backing the motion. In January 2015 they proposed an amendment to the Serious Crime Bill introducing new legislative restrictions on the possession of fireworks and flares at music events and festivals, and as one of the biggest names in the industry this is sure to carry a lot of weight.
Keep an eye out for the poor festival volunteer required to stand in a specially fenced off area in the middle of a field holding a flare in a hi-visibility jacket and protective clothing.
