Irish band responds after Cork Opera House ended their gig early over ‘safety’ issue

Stephen Porzio

Many attendees at the show are “calling for refunds”.

Irish band The Scratch have issued a statement after they had their gig at the Cork Opera House cut short last week due to a “safety” issue.

The alternative four-piece group took to the stage at the famous Cork venue on Sunday (29 October) as part of the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival.

However, in a move that left many fans in attendance disappointed, their concert was halted by Cork Opera House, who said it made the “difficult decision to finish the show earlier than anticipated due to a barrier becoming compromised during the performance”.

It is reported that the barrier was located at the front of the venue and that the gig was aborted about an hour in.

Earlier this week, Cork Opera House apologised to the patrons at The Scratch show, adding:

“The safety of our patrons and artists is always our highest priority – we regret that this decision was necessary but we had no choice.

“We wish also to acknowledge and thank the band – The Scratch – for their understanding of the situation.

“Thank you to our patrons for their patience and support and we look forward to welcoming you back to COH in the near future.”

pic.twitter.com/By7epHRxsu

— Cork Opera House (@CorkOperaHouse) October 30, 2023

Irish band responds after Cork Opera House ends their gig early over ‘safety’ issue

According to multiple reports, in a since deleted Twitter post, The Scratch published a photo of the barrier that led to their concert being stopped.

Alongside the image, the band are said to have apologised to attendees, telling them: “The venue H&S claimed the front barrier was ‘fit for purpose’ but as you can see clearly was not and became a genuine safety concern.”

The four-piece also made a promise to their Cork fans that they would return “as soon as possible” to make up for the aborted show.

Then, in a follow-up statement on Wednesday, the band wrote:

“A message to the people who attended our show in Cork Opera House on Sunday night.

“Firstly, we appreciate the love and support from all of ye who attended following the massively disappointing end to the night.

“Secondly, we have been working on booking and announcing a new show in a different venue before the year is out.

“Lastly, we know a lot of ye have been calling for refunds for the show. While we do not have control over ticket holder refunds for the Opera House, we are working with the promoter of the rescheduled show to make tickets as cheap as possible for ye.

“This will be done by us forgoing ticket sale profits, only paying for the venue and necessary crew on the night.”