The Nasty Violinist

This came through as a comment relating to the Carling Weekend Forum, but we thought it was good enough to be included as an article in its own right - Emlyn

"I'm not normally moved to offer my opinions to the world on such forums as this, however I thought I'd share with you some of my thoughts on the weekends events.

To the people who value this event as a part of the fabric of the city, I feel sorry for you.  Personally I did not go, nor have ever been but it seems that once again the violent minority have successfully ruined a great event for the silent minority (okay I am sure you weren't silent but you get the jist of what I am saying).

However I did afford myself a wry smile (in the knowledge that no person got seriously hurt) over the irony of things going so chaotically wrong with an event organised by a company with a name not disimillar to " THE NASTY VIOLINIST". 

This company has done much to hijaack the summer festival season in order to extort the paying public who want to watch some live music into filling their pockets.  My wry smile broke into a quiet chuckle when I remembered an incident from earlier in the summer after the Norman Cook inspired "Big Beach Boutique".   A representative of the aforementioned company, interviewed on the news, gleefully told the world about how the problems that occured because of 250,000 people descending onto Brighton could have been avoided.

I'm not sure if my memory is letting me down in my old age but I don't seem to remember much in the way of torching buildings and general loutish misbehaviour in Brighton. So perhaps we should have Mr Cook on the TV sharing with us his opinions on making the Leeds festival a safer place (that would be an interesting interview)!

Oh and Brighton was FREE!
But the smile was removed from my face when I realised the prognosis for both events.  Brighton will not happen again as the same type of free party event that it was.  They (hopefully) will organise a free event that you need tickets to attend, but the freedom to wake up on the day and decide to go will be removed.   Leeds will happen again, oh sure they may have to move it from it's present location but it will go on.  The cruelist irony of them all is: that " THE NASTY VIOLINIST" may even use this event to justify a bigger payment to be made to themselves in order to implement their safety plans...and after this who would begrudge them the money!!" - Ed Scrutton (Leeds)