Eyeballkid’s intrepid reporter at last week’s Donna’s show finds the security at London’s Scala confusing a mosh pit with a war zone. Fortunately he survives to tell the tale.

CAN’T STOP THE MOSH

Over the last fifteen years or so, I have been privileged to attend shows by some of the greatest ever punk, hard rock, heavy metal and grunge bands ever. These have been at classic venues like the Odeon, the Academy, the Empire, the Arena, the Marquee and even the humble Highbury Garage.

I have been in the midst of the fiercest mosh-pits imaginable, I mean I have been genuinely concerned for my life, never mind my wellbeing - don’t forget it wasn’t that long ago that they eradicated stage diving and crowd surfing. I’ve seen unconscious bodies dragged out of the melee; I’ve seen blood, snot, even teeth mixed in with the pools of sweat on the floor. I’ve seen just about every different type of person imaginable slam dancing - hulking hell’s angel types, petite teenage girlies, white haired wrinkled oldies even suited middle aged business men.

I’ve been bruised, cut, concussed, bleeding, nauseous and piss stained, yet I have experienced wonderful camaraderie with the very people who were inflicting or sustaining the injuries in question, and I’ve encountered no more ill-feeling than the occasional frustrated push from people at the pit’s periphery.

Until last night, I had never seen or even heard tell of anyone being ejected from a punk rock show for “dancing too roughly”. The behaviour I witnessed at the Scala was totally outrageous and unforgivable. Unlike many of the Donnas fans, I personally don’t think the behaviour of individual security men was the worst ever. Joe, the doorman who escorted me out, was perfectly cordial in explaining why I was ejected (notwithstanding that his argument was completely wrong); and I was impressed with not only his use of polysyllabic words but also with the fact he neither used nor threatened violence. God knows, I’ve enough scars from my dealings with really bad security in the past.

No, the real problem was that the Scala’s security team were not properly briefed or trained on what to expect at a punk show. They are night club bouncers, and when a night club bouncer’s eyes see a melee of writhing bodies with limbs flailing, their brain tells them “Fight - break it up - eject ringleaders”. It’s how they’re conditioned. Security at a proper rock venue would not have batted an eyelid at the other night’s show - no disrespect but it was a pretty tame moshpit really, and there was definitely no malice directed to anyone but the intervening bouncers.

Furthermore, the explanation I was given for the heavy-handed treatment at the hands these goons made me even angrier. “I don’t mind you pogo-ing a bit” I was told “but you went too far, there were girls in that audience, what if one of them got crushed”. Well hang on, there were girls in that mosh pit giving it just as much as the lads, and enjoying it too if the grinning faces were anything to go by. I wonder how they would have felt about the implication that they’re not as punk as the boys, that they’re just “pwor ickle guwls” who need wrapping in cotton wool. Do me a favour!

I’ve had a chance to calm down now, and really I’m thankful I got to see as much of the show as I did. Even my photographer said it was a great show, and he’s an ambient hip-hop groover, who would usually treat anything harder than the Strokes with fear and disdain. I hear the Donnas will be back to the UK in the autumn and if anyone can offer me a ticket to their London show I’ll snap their hand off. I just hope a more appropriate venue is chosen. NB. If their tour manager requires any guidance, I can be contacted via Eyeballkid.

words: Harry Harris