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making gigs accessible for all

THE ICA: ‘it went very smoothly – 4 stars’

Rating: 4 out of 5.
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access4/5
view5/5
staff5/5
transport and parking4/5
BSLN/A
covid safety1/5
toiletsN/A
overall 4/5

My gig at the ICA went very smoothly. I was extremely impressed with the accessibility and the helpfulness of the staff. When corresponding with the ICA prior to the event, I immediately felt confident in the venue’s accessibility. They were very friendly, quick to reply, and accommodating to my needs. This makes a huge difference.

a colour image of the stage at the ICA from the back of the crowd. In the foreground on the image you can see the rail at the front of the platform. The stage is in the centre of the iamge at the back, and is lit up with purple lights. the stage is empty. it is a black room with black walls and ceiling. there are white lights on the ceiling. he bottom half of the image is of the crowd with their backs to the camera, facing the stage. there are a couple hundred people in the crowd
view of the crowds and empty stage from the platform
a colour image of the stage at the ICA from the back of the crowd. in the foreground on the image you can see the rail at the front of the platform. the stage is in the centre of the image at the back, and is lit up with yellow lights. the stage ishas 4 people on it. marika hackman is a white woman holding a guitair in the middle of the stage, wearing a white shirt. she has short brown hair. to the left of her is a man holding a guitar. to the right of her is a woman with long hair holding a guitar. behind the three of them is a woman with short dark hair playing the drums. it is a black room with black walls and ceiling. the bottom half of the image is of the crowd with their backs to the camera, facing the stage. there are a couple hundred people in the crowd
view of the stage from the platform
a colour image of the stage at the ICA from the back of the crowd. in the foreground on the image you can see the rail at the front of the platform. the stage is in the centre of the image at the back, and is lit up with purple lights. the stage has 4 people on it. marika hackman is a white woman holding a guitar in the middle of the stage, wearing a white shirt. she has short brown hair. to the left of her is a man holding a guitar. to the right of her is a woman with long hair holding a guitar. behind the three of them is a woman with short dark hair playing the drums. it is a black room with black walls and ceiling. the bottom half of the image is of the crowd with their backs to the camera, facing the stage. there are a couple hundred people in the crowd
view of the stage from the platform
a colour image of the stage at the ICA from the back of the crowd. in the foreground on the image you can see the rail at the front of the platform. the stage is in the centre of the image at the back, and is lit up with red white and blue lights. the stage has 4 people on it. marika hackman is a white woman holding a guitair in the middle of the stage, wearing a white shirt. she has short brown hair. to the left of her is a man holding a guitar. to the right of her is a woman with long hair holding a guitar. behind the three of them is a woman with short dark hair playing the drums. it is a black room with black walls and ceiling. the bottom half of the image is of the crowd with their backs to the camera, facing the stage. there are a couple hundred people in the crowd
view of the stage from the platform
images from the gig

On arrival, there was a step free entrance into the building and I was met by security who were very helpful. After having my bag and ticket checked I was then passed on to another member of staff who took me to the accessible platform. The route through the building was easy enough as it was all step free and on smooth ground. However, it was quite crowded and involved some waiting around because of this (only a few minutes).

Once we got through the door into the venue we were taken to the left where there was an accessible platform at the back of the room. Although it was right at the back, it was such a small venue anyway so the view was still very good. There were only two other people on the platform and we all managed to get an unobstructed view. There were multiple members of staff near the platform all night who were on hand if we needed any help. At the end of the gig, I left just before the last song finished to try and avoid crowds. This meant it was very easy once again to leave the building. Perhaps in the future staff could ensure that people on the platform were allowed to leave first, thus making sure they could avoid crowds.

There were only two real things that I found inaccessible about this venue. The first was that the gig took place on a very hot day and the venue was like being in a sauna. I understand that this isn’t exactly the venue’s fault (although there are measures they could have put in place to try and improve things), but I still think it should be noted. I found being in that heat for a long period of time very difficult with my disability. I imagine people with similar disabilities or sensory issues would feel the same.

The second was the lack of covid safety. Once again, as an indoor music venue I understand this is difficult for them to achieve. However, it still meant that the event (like most other gigs) was inaccessible to a lot of people. Although the platform was separate from the crowds of people below, to get there involved going through tight crowds of people so there was no real way to socially distance.

Overall, I was very impressed by the ICA’s efforts to ensure their venue was accessible. Everything went very smoothly and the staff were extremely kind and helpful. This meant that I could relax and enjoy the gig.

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