Phill Jupitus criticises David Byrne for excluding disabled fans at Edinburgh show: “Effectively shat on a minority”
Comedian Phill Jupitus has criticised David Byrne for excluding disabled fans at his recent performance in Edinburgh.
This week, the former Talking Heads frontman performed three theatre shows at the all-seater Playhouse in the Scottish capital.
Taking to Instagram, Jupitus, best known for being a team captain on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, initially wrote following the concert, “It is a sad fact that there are people at rock gigs who can’t stand. So when they see someone they love is touring they get seats. Then at the show the ‘artist’ says ‘You can dance if you want, but do respect the people around you’.”
He added, “David Byrne effectively shat on a minority last night. Like he gives a toss anyway. He might as well have said ‘Hey disabled people in the stalls, suck it!’ He needs to make up his mind whether he’s doing a theatre show or a rock show.”
Jupitus explained that the first two songs, before the crowd stood up, “were amazing”, but he then couldn’t see for the rest of the evening despite spending £270 to attend, adding, “I might as well have been listening to his albums at home with the same sense of disappointment at not seeing him.”
The post was appropriately soundtracked by Lily Allen’s ‘Fuck You’ and was also accompanied by a series of photos from the concert that show his view of the stage was obstructed by people standing up.
The comic later shared a video where he went into more depth about the concert, in which he explained that people began dancing after the second song of the evening, after Byrne had previously said “the theatre have said you can dance if you want, but please be respectful of those around you” before the show got underway.
Jupitus added, “Basically, everybody in front of me got up and started dancing. I can’t stand for very long, I’ve got a leg thing, and my missus can’t stand either. So, we saw two songs and spent the rest of the gig looking at people’s heads. We’d loved to have stood up and danced, but we can’t.”
He also stated that others who were in a similar position at the concert have been in contact.
Jupitus then had a suggestion for Byrne, adding, “Why don’t you say it’s a show that’s been designed for everybody to see what’s happening on stage because it’s so complicated and convoluted… So why don’t you say, look, watch the show and then at the end of the show, I’ll come back, and we’ll all have a dance at the encore.”
Byrne has not yet responded to Jupitus’ criticism.
The former Talking Heads frontman is set to wrap up his UK tour with a headline performance at Latitude tonight (July 24th) and an outdoor show in Cardiff on July 26th.
In a five-star review of Byrne’s performance in Halifax at the Piece Hall last weekend, Far Out wrote, The show is a glorious spectacle of everything that makes Byrne great, with the accompanying ensemble in bold, orange suits highlighting the power of community and having fun among seas of like-minded people.”
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.