Author hits out at venue over seating plan that ruined gig

Published on Friday 27 August 2010 12:26

HE'S the creator of the gruff Edinburgh detective with a taste for classic rock.

No doubt Inspector John Rebus would have been proud after author Ian Rankin launched a tirade against an Edinburgh venue for ruining a gig by a cult Sixties idol.

The crime writer used Twitter to slate The Queen's Hall during a concert by celebrated Edinburgh singer-songwriter Bert Jansch.

Mr Rankin complained that the layout of the former church meant he spent the first part of the evening staring at "some bloke's head."

Tweeting during the performance, he said: "God, Queens Hall is rubbish. Low stage, seated performers, no rake to auditorium, so they set out rows of seats where each seat is exactly behind one in front.

"I was three rows back and could see nothing of the performer, just the back of some bloke's head."

He later added: "Frankly, no matter how good Jansch was I'd rather have spent my money going to the comfy Cineworld 3 times."

Speaking to the Evening News, the author of The Complaints and Doors Open said: "I just felt they had missed a trick by putting rows of chairs immediately behind the rows in front.

"For sound quality it's a great venue and when it's laid out with cabaret tables it's a great venue.

"I've got a ticket for something on Sunday, so I will need to check to see where my seat is."

Referring to the hall's 19th century past, he added: "Maybe in the old days people used to put up with a lot of discomfort and these days we're just pampered."

He said that after being moved to another seat by a member of staff, he spent the last part of the gig standing at the back of the hall to get a good view of the stage.

Rankin's novels are full of references to classic rock, and he names the Rolling Stones, The Who and Cream among his character's favourite acts.

A former church dating from the 1820s, the Queen's Hall was converted to an arts venue in 1979 and has played host to the likes of Fairport Convention, Terry Callier and PJ Harvey, who used a show in April last year to say: "What a lovely venue . . . I'd happily do a residency here."

Andy Catlin, marketing manager for the hall, said Mr Rankin had already been contacted for his feedback.

He said: "We get criticism on Twitter and we get praise. You will see there's a lot of affection out there.

"We've been in touch with Ian. That's normal and that's why we're on Twitter - to monitor what people think of us."