Went for a gig last night.

Posters everywhere saying the smoking area was behind the main Bar.
Smashing.
Went to the bar and asked where this said smoking area was and was told. There isnt one. Well there is, but 'It's only available on one of our club nights.'
Whys that then?
Well we dont want any trouble
What !!? Tonight !?!? Do you get a lot of trouble from bunches of 50 and 60 year old men listening to one of there old schoool bands then ?
Not really.

Anyway, i let it lie. I can last an hour or so without a fag.
But around me there were lots of people asking the same question.And all getting varied replies. A woman next to me was told:

We only have it when the younger ones are in to stop them having sneaky ones.It's safer.
(Which is fair enough but isnt that a bit like rewarding a kid who wont behave. Sorry I'm digressing to a different issue there!)

Anyway the up shot was, suddenly a young lad with a headset on is running round at speed trying tp tear down all these posters which point to the smoking area before anyone else see's them.

I know i'm a whingeing old get. But really if you are going to provide a facility surely you have to provide it for everyone.

Yeah I was in there with my lad and missus last night
Great gig.
I saw those posters as well.........so smokers are welcome some nights but not others? Missus wasn't pleased about not getting a pass out for a fag especially after seeing the posters
Then at 10.40pm my lad is asked to drink up!
It's like being at school!

Maybe not quite like school - the way the youth of today acts, they probably spark up during geography :hihi:

its not that easy to provide smoking areas in older builders u need a varanda or a outside area

The point is though... it does have an outside area, they just wouldn't open it....

its not that easy to provide smoking areas in older builders u need a varanda or a outside area

I guess the OP is aware of this and fully appreciates it but the point is (in my view) that there were posters showing the way to a smoking area! If they can't have one then why; A) put the posters up and B) say they have one on other nights (for whatever reason).

However I think these issues will get sorted out soon enough, it's only just opened after all.

Just want to add that I think the Academy is going to prove an incredibly valuable asset for Sheffield's live music and club scene, went there the other night and even though it was full up I was waiting no more than a couple of minutes for a drink. Spot on. But that's for another thread... :)

I would imagine it's more down to the issues of potentially 2500 people all wanting to leave the building as soon as a band comes off stage and then get back in again as soon as the next band is on. Doubt that licensing would allow that as the crowd control issues would be massive. I guess they could restrict the number of people outside, but then you'd have 2500 people queuing to get out, and people getting upset that their friend got out, but they can't.

I faced the same problem when I was at the Human League gig back in April!!

I thought the new smoking laws prohibit smoking in public places ie inside but was unaware it would completely remove access to a fag break completely!! I was really gutted!!



:(