Amyl and the Sniffers’ free concert at Fed Square in Melbourne has been shut down before the band’s set began.
Screens at the venue displayed the message: “Due to unexpected circumstances the event has been cancelled. Please leave the Square safely and follow the directions of venue staff.”
Sources on ground at the event have told Tone Deaf that people attempting to get into the venue were turned away due to large crowds.
Amyl and the Sniffers have since taken to social media to address the cancellation, writing in a post: “We are so sorry the show is cancelled due to the event not organising the proper security and barriers and the barriers being broken in has made them deem it unsafe to play.”
“We’re backstage, we would have loved to play. We’re devastated, the fucking fences got crushed in,” singer Amy Taylor said in a post.
“Too many people. Fucking cops shut it down. Pissed as fuck. We’re just really apologetic and so sorry.”
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Fed Square announced just after 7.30pm that capacity was full before the gig was called off.
“Unfortunately this evening, Fed Square was forced to cancel Amyl and The Sniffers’ show after multiple breaches of the perimeter fences caused a very high risk of crowd crushes,” Katrina Sedgwick, MAP Co Director & CEO, told Tone Deaf in a statement.
“It was unsafe for the audience, the staff and the band to continue with the show. We did not make the decision lightly and we are deeply, deeply sorry for any disappointment caused by this situation, however we simply could not continue. Our sincere apologies to the band and their fans.The safety of our guests, our team and the community must always come first.”
