Post by bloodandlipstick on Jan 29, 2007 8:37:51 GMT
The events that unfolded at Frames on Saturday night are enough to make you want to commit murder and sadly typify the way things (don't) work in Rhyl.
For those of you who weren't there to witness what descended into farce, here's a brief rundown of events.
By about 8 pm Portrait Of A Lifetime and Fudged had soundchecked and Lust & Found was about to do the same and everybody had been mightily impressed by the sound.
I'd stuck my head through the doors a couple of times and was encouraged by the masses of people waiting to come in - it was shaping up to be a cracking night.
Then a council official with a large number of police officers in tow turned up, declared himself unhappy with the situation and told us that the gig couldn't go ahead.
The crowd was dispersed by the police and everybody has been left scratching their heads, wondering what the hell is going on.
Conclusion?
Well, from what I'm led to believe it revolves around a planning issue - the original plans for the building were approved and gigs were booked on that basis and would presumably have gone ahead without interference.
However, those plans didn't include a stage and so fresh plans were submitted with the stage incorporated into them but these plans apparently are still stuck in somebody's in-tray at council HQ.
In the cold light of day it can be argued that officials acted within the letter of the law, even though the stage doesn't encroach on any fire exits or give rise to any fresh health and safety issues - on the contrary, the stage area incorporates a safety barrier which prevents punters from potentially falling over monitors etc.
What the authorities have failed spectacularly to do is exercise a little common sense and recognise Saturday night for what it was intended to be: the unveiling of a venue that will be a cultural asset to the town and one that in conjunction with Bar Blu and The Dudley Arms can turn Rhyl into a town that can rival Wrexham and Bangor as a the pre-eminent centre for live rock and indie in North Wales.
However, it has to be asked whether the town's authorities want Rhyl to have any kind of thriving youth culture that involves something other than dancing around their handbags to R&B on a Saturday night.
I guess time (and events) will tell.
For those of you who weren't there to witness what descended into farce, here's a brief rundown of events.
By about 8 pm Portrait Of A Lifetime and Fudged had soundchecked and Lust & Found was about to do the same and everybody had been mightily impressed by the sound.
I'd stuck my head through the doors a couple of times and was encouraged by the masses of people waiting to come in - it was shaping up to be a cracking night.
Then a council official with a large number of police officers in tow turned up, declared himself unhappy with the situation and told us that the gig couldn't go ahead.
The crowd was dispersed by the police and everybody has been left scratching their heads, wondering what the hell is going on.
Conclusion?
Well, from what I'm led to believe it revolves around a planning issue - the original plans for the building were approved and gigs were booked on that basis and would presumably have gone ahead without interference.
However, those plans didn't include a stage and so fresh plans were submitted with the stage incorporated into them but these plans apparently are still stuck in somebody's in-tray at council HQ.
In the cold light of day it can be argued that officials acted within the letter of the law, even though the stage doesn't encroach on any fire exits or give rise to any fresh health and safety issues - on the contrary, the stage area incorporates a safety barrier which prevents punters from potentially falling over monitors etc.
What the authorities have failed spectacularly to do is exercise a little common sense and recognise Saturday night for what it was intended to be: the unveiling of a venue that will be a cultural asset to the town and one that in conjunction with Bar Blu and The Dudley Arms can turn Rhyl into a town that can rival Wrexham and Bangor as a the pre-eminent centre for live rock and indie in North Wales.
However, it has to be asked whether the town's authorities want Rhyl to have any kind of thriving youth culture that involves something other than dancing around their handbags to R&B on a Saturday night.
I guess time (and events) will tell.