Sorry, that last Guest was me - not logged in - and sent before I'd seen the Unthanks lengthy and thoughtful response.

Nevertheless it does raise the question of balance at these venues. It seems its fine if you're actually disabled, or if you can persuade the management that you're an old crock who can't stand for too long. If not, you just have to put up with it. I'm 57 and fairly fit and active, but I wouldn't want to stand for several hours no matter who was appearing.

It seems to me that standing venues are more excluding than seated ones, on the basis that it's more of a hardship being forced to stand when you don't want to than being forced to sit.

If a band - and I'm not specifically addressing the Unthanks - wants to go into a "youth" venue which is normally standing and intends to arract that venue's usual audience who expect that, that's one thing. If it's playing a more general venue, such as an arts centre, then it seems to me that it should seek a better balance between the needs of all its audience, which means providing adequate seating for those who want it.