Lake Street Dive last night. The venue is tatty, s...

Lake Street Dive last night. The venue is tatty, shabby, down at heel, resembling the Pollocks paperboard theatre kits that people assembled at home, "penny plain or tuppence coloured." I doubt this place cost tuppence. Seating is eventually like sitting on a rough plank.

The ...it's difficult to call them "ushers, guides, showers-to-seats", whatever - these awful single-digit IQ goons were clad in huge custard yellow thick plastic jackets with Security on the back and were all clearly from the Idi Amin School of Customer Service, or else potential recruits to Boko Haram or the Lord's Resistance Army. Thuggish (including the women), unsmiling, abrupt, pushy, hectoring bullies who had an obvious competition going as to who could answer a query in the fewest number of syllables. An utter disgrace to the London theatre world. Whatever they're paid it's WAY too much.



This was once a BBC venue to be hugely, immensely proud of. How are the mighty fallen into a lout-controlled slum.

The gig was carp too, but they can't be blamed for that.

(From Claire Campbell 3 years ago:

" I would never visit this venue again. I went to see the Levellers on 24th November and was refused entry at 7pm as I was apparently drunk, despite being perfectly coherent, polite and reasonable. After a further two attempts they finally let me in at 9pm. Unfortunately I spoke to at least another 5 people outside who were all having the same problem and who were also not drunk. The door staff were intimidating, rude and seemed to be randomly picking out people for some kind of power trip.
Unless I get an apology, I will never visit this venue again. The staff were the nastiest I have ever come across."

Claire - nothing's changed!