Bill 696

Octopus? · Dec 20, 2008

"The British government is apparently proposing to further complicate the already prohibitive music licenses with the 696 form:

"The 696 Form compels licensees who wish to hold live music events in 21 London Boroughs to report to the police the names, addresses, aliases and telephone numbers of performers, and most worryingly, the likely ethnicity of their audience. Failure to comply could result in fines or imprisonment. We believe this places unnecessary and frankly Orwellian powers in the hands of the Metropolitan Police, an institution which does not have the best record of racial fairness. The 696 form can only serve to deter the staging of live musical events - a positive form of activity in London and all cities - stifle free expression and quite possible penalise certain genres of music and ethnic audiences. It is an intrusion too far."

Any UK citizens or expats who are as appalled as I am by the idea should sign this:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Scrapthe696/"

Wow. Honestly?

Edward · Dec 21, 2008

Met racism shocker!
Who'da thought it?

Seriously, how many millions signed anti-Iraq-war petitions?
The govt. don't pay any attention whatsoever to petitions.

Write to your MP or GLA representative.
It's easy, go here:
http://www.writetothem.com/

You could also ask your MP why the govt. is giving taxpayers' money to bankers (so they can pay themselves big bonuses whilst refusing to lend to small businesses) and at the same time threatening to withdraw benefits from more single mothers, carers and other unemployed people.....

mms · Dec 21, 2008

Edward said:
Met racism shocker!
Who'da thought it?

and while we're at it tell them to get rid of that poll tax we pay.

slackk · Dec 21, 2008

Shit's a pisstake but it's just a more open version of the policy they already operate, no?

Logan · Dec 21, 2008

You have to fill in all of that information anyway. But it is good that this issue has finally been brought to the public's attention because it is fucking disgusting.

Transpontine · Dec 23, 2008

I've posted on this before at my blog. The actual Met Police form is here. There doesn't seem to be a reference to the ethnicity of the crowd (maybe they've modified it because of the row) but there's some code in there, e.g. the types of music they give as examples are bashment, r'n'b and garage!

mos dan · Jan 21, 2009

as logan says most of this is not new, and it especially won't be new to most dissensians i expect, but that's hardly the point:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/jan/21/police-form-696-garage-music

hang tight woofah for publishing the original piece way back when, sorry they cut my reference to it

john eden · Jan 21, 2009

mos dan said:
as logan says most of this is not new, and it especially won't be new to most dissensians i expect, but that's hardly the point:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2009/jan/21/police-form-696-garage-music

hang tight woofah for publishing the original piece way back when, sorry they cut my reference to it

nice work Dan - the main thing is getting the message out there. (Woofah might get another mention in the Guardian soon anyway, shameless media whores that we are...)

mos dan · Jan 21, 2009

john eden said:
(Woofah might get another mention in the Guardian soon anyway, shameless media whores that we are...)

good stuff! i heard you and paul and droid are guest-editing the today programme too? and presenting a celebrity edition of come dine with me? arf

unclerico · Jan 21, 2009

there may be some racism involved in this but in some cases the actual grime performers themselves are involved in all kinds of criminal activity. meridian crew and crazy titch are two that have recently been at the forefront of my mind due to the wiley and goodz war and having watched the documentary about the meridian crew where that guy got shot.

guess i'm saying its not just about race - look at the content of grime and the values it promotes as well as the antics of some of its stars. i'm not arguing that the police aren't racist just that the other side of this argument is that grime events, for example, probably do attract dodgy people (as well as perfectly sound people of course)

its worth questioning this beyond the immediate assumption that it's racism and nothing else

slackk · Jan 21, 2009

mos dan said:
and presenting a celebrity edition of come dine with me? arf

Wiley, Loefah, Beenie Man & Lee Perry?
Would lock.

Good article though Dan, the more awareness of this bullshit the better really.

slackk · Jan 21, 2009

unclerico said:
there may be some racism involved in this but in some cases the actual grime performers themselves are involved in all kinds of criminal activity. meridian crew and crazy titch are two that have recently been at the forefront of my mind due to the wiley and goodz war and having watched the documentary about the meridian crew where that guy got shot.

guess i'm saying its not just about race - look at the content of grime and the values it promotes as well as the antics of some of its stars. i'm not arguing that the police aren't racist just that the other side of this argument is that grime events, for example, probably do attract dodgy people (as well as perfectly sound people of course)

its worth questioning this beyond the immediate assumption that it's racism and nothing else

Exceptions rather than the rule though mate. Do we go through every musical genre and because there's a couple of criminal records, ban them from performing?

john eden · Jan 21, 2009

unclerico said:
there may be some racism involved in this but in some cases the actual grime performers themselves are involved in all kinds of criminal activity. meridian crew and crazy titch are two that have recently been at the forefront of my mind due to the wiley and goodz war and having watched the documentary about the meridian crew where that guy got shot.

guess i'm saying its not just about race - look at the content of grime and the values it promotes as well as the antics of some of its stars. i'm not arguing that the police aren't racist just that the other side of this argument is that grime events, for example, probably do attract dodgy people (as well as perfectly sound people of course)

its worth questioning this beyond the immediate assumption that it's racism and nothing else

Nobody is saying that all grime artists are angels but I fail to see how it is effective policing to put pressure on grime events because of this. In fact it is completely counterproductive because it means people are less likely to make a living off music.

"Dodgy people" congregating to listen to and perform music isn't a crime the last time I checked. If it was then the police wouldn't be arsing about behind the scenes with these forms.

mos dan · Jan 21, 2009

john eden said:
Nobody is saying that all grime artists are angels but I fail to see how it is effective policing to put pressure on grime events because of this. In fact it is completely counterproductive because it means people are less likely to make a living off music.

"Dodgy people" congregating to listen to and perform music isn't a crime the last time I checked. If it was then the police wouldn't be arsing about behind the scenes with these forms.

i heard a rumour that pete doherty and amy winehouse take drugs n all. i'm sure it's nothing.

baboon2004 · Jan 21, 2009

unclerico said:
its worth questioning this beyond the immediate assumption that it's racism and nothing else

It's also worth seriously considering that it is just that (mixed in with class prejudices, of course).

No-one seemed to close down Glastonbury (to choose something random and largely white) for drug-taking/petty theft/violence, did they?

Double standards, simple as. I've been to a few grime raves when the police have deigned to allow them to happen in central-ish London, and never seen anything out of the ordinary.

baboon2004 · Jan 21, 2009

As transpontine noted, the 696 form uses hilariously unsubtle code though...

Elijah · Jan 21, 2009

ive seen someone shot dead in a rave
ive seen people get literally kicked the shit out off
ive seen people do lines in the toilet
ive seen people ransack bars
ive seen people totally off their face drunk.

Never seen anything like this in a grime rave.

In the last 4 or 5 years were i have been going out I cant recall one SERIOUS incident. Obviously sometimes the hype gets a bit over the top, but not to the point were the event cannot continue or gunshots are flying

Grime is one of those genres now were people only go if they like the music.

mistersloane · Jan 21, 2009

Transpontine said:
I've posted on this before at my blog. The actual Met Police form is here. There doesn't seem to be a reference to the ethnicity of the crowd (maybe they've modified it because of the row) but there's some code in there, e.g. the types of music they give as examples are bashment, r'n'b and garage!

That form is just asking to be made into a flyer for a squat rave. Begging on its knees for it, in fact.

mms · Jan 21, 2009

i djed in a posh central london club for a film premier last year and written on the dj both was no bashment, hip hop or garage, if you played it you'd get kicked out....
i have no idea why they had that policy but gven westminster councils banning of garage events i imagine clubs in that area work with cops on music policies already..

this is just an extension of risk assesment policies the cops already do.

elgato · Jan 21, 2009

mistersloane said:
That form is just asking to be made into a flyer for a squat rave. Begging on its knees for it, in fact.

so, so true

Bill 696

Well-known member

+

sometimes

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Grime Guru

history is made at night

fact music

male pale and stale

fact music

Well-known member

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male pale and stale

fact music

Darned cockwombles.

Darned cockwombles.

Butterz

heavy heavy monster sound

sometimes

I just dont know