Okay, so the name for Ethel Cain's short run of summer shows in New York, Los Angeles, Europe and the UK may have been an unfortunate choice. The singer-songwriter's subreddit has become a jungle of grievances, reporting various disrespectful acts — everything from people drowning out Cain's performance by screaming during the songs, to concertgoers being groped and laughing at a disabled fan having an episode — at recent performances, especially a June 5 concert at Roundhouse in London.
She's performing at the same venue again tonight, and in light of concertgoers reportedly going against her wishes (posted on social media as recently as ahead of her June 3 show in Paris) that they treat each other with kindness, she's shared another statement addressing the alleged behavioural issues that keep cropping up online.
"Hi all! Just wanted to reiterate before tonight's show in London that it is extremely important to me that you all respect each other both in the queue and once in the venue," Cain wrote on her Instagram Story. "I very much hate hearing that anyone attending our shows walked away with a negative experience because of bad behaviour in the pit. Barrelling to the front, slapping people's hands away when I reach for them, verbally insulting people, it's all just not very nice."
She continued, "I come and I play these songs because I love them and I would hope the reason you're coming is because you love them also. There's really no room for anything else at these gigs. Please do not give us the reputation of being a band that has a negative concert experience for fans. I want people to feel safe and excited when they're coming, not like they're going to have to fight for their life just to hear some music. I greatly value community and love between those connecting through shared experiences and I find it really disappointing and disheartening to think that would not be the case for some people because of the callousness of others.
"Again, to everyone coming tonight or to any future shows, thank you so much for your love and support and we are always very excited to play for you and look forward to seeing you," the artist concluded. "Stay safe, stay hydrated, and we will see you tonight!!"
If there's anything that can be gleaned about the state of the live music industry nowadays, it's that people don't know how to act. Whether it's a massive stadium gig or a tiny bar show, new levels of audience disrespect seemed to just hit the culture in the face with a phone once summer 2023 hit. How many more artists have to beg fans to not throw things — or talk loudly during openers' sets, or just generally be normal — before people start listening?
See Cain's message to those attending tonight's show of the unfortunately-named Childish Behaviour Tour below.
