Shambles

Do you live in Pinner by any chance?   I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw that particular fair in the High Street. Some of the rides seemed to be within a couple of feet of people's sitting rooms and bedroom windows.

If it wasn't for the existence of the 'tradition' and the charter you mention, I just can't imagine any LA agreeing to allow a fair to operate in such circumstances.

Surely though music is an absulutely integral part of Circus? Has anyone ever come accross a circus without music? Don't some clowns have their own signature tunes? I also rather fancy music is crucial to the timing and atmosphere of some acts. I'm sure it must be chosen with some care.

Also I can't believe that we can ever get into a situation where the level of H & S can become become a function of whether the music is "Incidental" or not. Licence or no licence. Structural Engineers, and Building Control Officers do not, thank goodness, see the world, or make decisions determined by these sort of criteria.

Given all that has been surmised, written and picked over, I have a gut reaction that each LA's officers will look at a venue, who is running it, what is seen to happen in it, and make a recommendation to the politicians as to whether they consider a license is required or indeed whether one should be issued if it were requested. I'm sure too that venue/pub managers, promoters and organisers will approach LAs to discuss possibilities and the requirements before running music events or pitching into a full licence application.

From the discussions on these threads, It seems to me the Act can be interpreted in a number of ways, it may take a few cases in the courts to create the precedents to determine what it actually does mean. However, by hook or by crook, I still expect to see Zippo's or Gerry Cottle's pitched down at my local park next summer.

I bet Pinner Fair comes back this year too, and someone will end up watching "The Octopus" cars rising and falling inches from their front room windows.

One other thing is for certain, Breezy will pop up on Mudcat to announce that Harvey Andrews will be appearing somewhere or other in St Albans, even if it is on Breezy's Council approved busking patch in French Row. (In the baker's if it's raining)

Where there's a will....

or to put it another way,

"Where there's a form there's a fiddle"

SM