Tom Lowndes AKA Hot Dub Time Machine has released a big ol’ statement regarding the utter chaos that broke out at his show on Saturday, after the show was shut down early and some of the fans started an honest to God riot on the street outside the Enmore Theatre.
Police ended the performance at about 9.45, after responding to “a number of adverse incidents involving juveniles and alleged licensing breaches“, and began ushering audience members outside.
Some of those audience members decided the best course of action was to take their frustration out on nearby windows, which they proceeded to smash, according to photographer Pat Stevenson:
“Hot Dub Time Machine just got shut down by the police, rampaging teens who got ejected were smashing windows and being little fucks around the neighbourhood, such a shame, it was wild!”
Lowndes addressed the fiasco briefly on the night, saying he was “shattered”:
“I started Hot Dub to create a party about love for music and positivity, to have this happen is heart breaking. There is no after party, but we will work with everyone concerned to make sure this never happens again.”
He addressed it in full tonight, however, and I mean really in full. Over the course of a few lengthy paragraphs he clears up want went down and expressed his disappointment in the people that went too far:
“How did it come to this? To be honest, I still don’t know exactly, there are conflicting reports. It’s clear that there were a large amount of intoxicated young people in and outside the venue. A large number of which were refused entry. Some of them were aggressive. There were reports of disturbances by the local residents. The police were called by the Enmore to help out, and they got a court order and shut it down. Which is the first time in the long history of the Enmore Theatre that has happened.“While it is clear that a large group of young people chose Hot Dub as their “schoolies” destination and turned up highly intoxicated, they were a small minority of young people at the show, and a tiny proportion of the always positive hot dubbers dancing and singing their way through time. So it’s shame the show had to stop.“However, safety is super important to me and everyone involved in the show. No one should ever be hurt, intimidated or discriminated against at a Hot Dub Time Machine show. So I respect the Police’s decision.”
The take-away message? Just try not to be a fucking dickhead:
“Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to encourage people to think twice before they act like dickheads. I think that people have to realise that their actions at a legendary venue like the Enmore have ramifications. In the current political climate, if you turn up drunk, act violently, or just generally be a dickhead, you run a real risk of having the show shut down and a venue being closed forever. And venues like the Enmore are too important for that. They are already under siege from residents, councils and hugely powerful political forces, they don’t need this shit. So please, rally behind the Enmore and Sydney‘s live music scene. It needs you. Come have a boogie. And if you have a friend being a dickhead, tell them to stop.”
Amen, my dude. The good news is he’s confirmed that his second show at the Enmore this Saturday is still going ahead (however there will be no underage tickets sold), you can grab those tickets right here.
You can read the post in full at your leisure in this very spot:
Source and photo: Facebook / Hot Dub Time Machine.
