Band pulls out of gig after fans breathalysed by 'faulty equipment'

IT'S not uncommon for a gig to be cancelled at the last minute.

But West Lothian ska-funk band Dead Sea Souls pulled the plug on their own concert after nearly half their fans were turned away at the door for being drunk.

The quartet were due to perform an under-18s gig at The Store - formerly The GRV - on Guthrie Street but withdrew when around 20 fans failed a breath test at the door and were denied entry on Saturday.

Believing the breathalyser was faulty, they urged staff manning the hardware to try it themselves and they also gave a positive reading.

On the band's Facebook page, singer Gary Burns slammed door staff for using "faulty" equipment and said the group pulled out in solidarity with their fans.

He said: "To everyone who made the journey on Saturday night to GRV in Edinburgh, we are really sorry we could not play for you at the venue as matters were taken out of our hands. We were made aware very early that there was a problem on the door, with the security 'breathalysing' a lot of the crowd, and those who were under 18 (even though it was an over-14s gig) who failed the test were not allowed admission to the venue.

"We know our fans. They are not troublemakers and weren't falling around drunk. So in defending our crowd, we challenged security to breathalyse staff to test the quality of the machine they used. The staff also tested positive, proving that the equipment was faulty.

"The venue still refused entry to those who had done no wrong, by using a piece of testing equipment that was entirely illegal for them to use and very faulty. For that we decided we could not be associated with the gig."

A police spokesperson said on-the-door breath tests was considered "best practice" for underage events.

Jack Wright, manager of the venue, said: "If someone has been drinking, is under 18 and it comes up on the breathalyser, they have to be refused entry.

"I was also informed that the members of the Dead Sea Souls said 'what's wrong with them having a few beers on the bus?' referring to their fans.

"Everyone who's under 18 gets breathalysed, regardless of whether we suspect them of drinking or not. It's just a blanket rule we have.

"There was no problem with the breathalyser. There are three different settings - green, amber and red. The kids were coming up red and when the staff used it just after the kids it was coming up amber because there was so much alcohol from the previous breath."

He added: "The under-18s were never in the premises, they never got in."

Dead Sea Souls say they are in talks to put on a free show for ticketholders who were barred from the GRV gig. Details should be available in the coming days.