Police pause concert permits after drug deaths
Police in the Malaysian state of Selangor have temporarily suspended concert permits following the suspected drug-related deaths of four people at last month’s Pinkfish Countdown.
The casualties – aged between 20 and 40 – died after attending the New Year’s Eve festival at Surf Beach, Sunway Lagoon. All victims had drugs in their blood according to local police, with toxicology reports since referred to the University Malaya Medical Centre. Three other festivalgoers were also hospitalised.
“For now, the police are suspending the approval of any permits for concerts like this until organisers can demonstrate control and ensure such elements do not occur,” Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan told a press conference. “In the future, for any concert, organisers must ensure that they can prevent the entry of drugs at the event. If they fail to do so, we cannot allow it to proceed, as it may result in fatalities.”
The festival, which was curated by Hitman Solutions and Happy Moon, featured acts including Sarah Landry, Showtek, Blasterjaxx, Cosmic Gate and Nifra and attracted around 14,000 fans.
Promoters said they were “deeply saddened” by the deaths and pledged to fully cooperate with the authorities.
They also sought to “reassure the public that every precaution has been taken to ensure the safety of our events”, pointing to the presence of more than 100 police officers and the deployment of trained security personnel and K9 units.
Speaking earlier this month, Malaysian Artistes Association president Datuk Freddie Fernandez noted a similar tragedy occurred in 2014, when six people lost their lives at Future Music Festival Asia in Kuala Lumpur.
“Following the incident, several new policies were implemented, including the stipulation that EDM concerts could only be held in enclosed venues to facilitate better control,” he said, as per The Star. “Yet, such a tragedy has happened again. I am unsure about the changes in regulations that now allow concerts in open venues, which are clearly more difficult to manage.
“Losing lives due to drug abuse while enjoying music is deeply distressing. This also tarnishes the concert industry, which serves as a source of livelihood and a vital ecosystem for music practitioners.”
“How can a professional career like music… be labelled as hedonistic culture simply because of the actions of a few?”
Fernandez is calling for closer collaboration on drug awareness campaigns between event organisers and agencies, such as the National Anti-Drugs Agency.
He added: “How can a professional career like music, which is taught in universities worldwide, be labelled as hedonistic culture simply because of the actions of a few? Enjoy entertainment healthily, like engaging in sports. You can sing and dance happily without associating with drugs or a state of intoxication.”
Furthermore, the South China Morning Post reports that Selangor executive councillor Ng Suee Lim has floated the possibility of conducting urine tests on attendees, as well as installing airport-style security scanners in a bid to keep drugs out of events.
There have also been pleas for drug-testing infrastructure to be introduced in the country, similar to that deployed in other markets around the world – the recent launch of a landmark new pill-testing trial at Australia’s Beyond The Valley was hailed as a huge success by promoter Untitled Group.
Investigations are also ongoing after two males – a 32-year-old American and 28-year-old Canadian – died after attending Electric Daisy Carnival’s debut in Phuket, Thailand, over the weekend.
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‘Major incident’ prompts Dreamland licence review
Dreamland Margate faces a licensing review after a 17-year-old girl died and 21 teenagers were hospitalised from suspected drug overdoses at a drum & bass event held last month.
Kent Police declared a major incident at Worried About Henry event, which took place at the open air concert venue on 29 June. Advertised as an over-16s event, it was attended by around 7,000 people.
Five interim measures have now been imposed on Dreamland, which has already cancelled an event “of a similar nature and customer base” planned for 27 July, following recommendations by the police to Thanet District Council.
They include the “formal cancellation of all drum and bass events and those deemed to be a higher risk association with class A and B drug use by those under 18 years of age”, as well as an increased ratio of security staff to patrons for what the police deem “‘higher risk’ events such as trance/garage/grime”.
Further measures include zero tolerance signage throughout the venue regarding drug use and possession, and for all under-18s must be accompanied by an adult aged 25 or over.
“Kent Police respectfully request that interim measures are officially put in place to uphold the licensing objectives,” said the police. “At this stage we are not seeking a full revocation of the licence as Kent Police are confident in working with Dreamland prior to any review hearing.”
A spokesperson for Dreamland tells IQ: We are committed to engaging with the licensing authority and Kent Police throughout the review process.”
“Kent Police believe that in general the premises has been well run and well
suited to what we would deem to be lower risk events”
According to documents submitted to the council, police decided against shutting down Worried About Henry in the wake of the tragedy as it “would likely have caused a large-scale public order incident”.
“This was a challenging decision but allowed mitigating factors to implemented to minimise the risk towards already vulnerable children at the event,” they said.
Police noted that Dreamland, in general, “has been well run and well suited to what we would deem to be lower risk events”.
“The management of events specifically targeted at over 16s and particular music genre’s are historically faced with challenges,” they added. “The venue has had issues with similar previous events in 23/24, where there were some wider issues raised with crime and disorder in the local area which in turn put pressure on strategic partners and in turn damaged public confidence and have undermined all licensing objectives.”
A spokesperson for Kent Police tells IQ: “Our application is currently before the relevant committee at Thanet District Council. We have no further statement on it at present.”
LN-Gaiety Holdings took a majority stake in Sands Heritage, owner of Dreamland Margate, last year. Upcoming concerts at the venue include Suede & Manic Street Preachers, Idles, Jess Glynne, Status Quo, Paloma Faith and Busted.
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Study: Testing could prevent festival drug deaths
Analysis of drug-related deaths at Australian festivals over almost a decade has shown that most could potentially have been prevented through harm reduction strategies such as pill testing.
The study, published this month in the International Journal of Drug Policy, and led by Associate Professor Jennifer Schumann, from Monash University’s Department of Forensic Medicine, looked at drug-related deaths at music festivals throughout Australia between 1 July 2000 and 31 December 2019.
There were 64 deaths during the period, mostly of males aged in their mid-20s. The drug most commonly detected or reported as being used was MDMA (65.6%), followed by alcohol (46.9%) and cannabis (17.2%), with the majority of deaths being unintentional.
Drug use among music festival attendees is disproportionally high compared with the general population, notes the study, with a recent survey of 2,305 participants at 23 festivals in Victoria reporting that almost half (48%) had recently used drugs and 24% intended to take illicit drugs at the next festival.
While law enforcement-centred strategies intended to deter drug use and supply at mass gatherings have been put in place throughout Australia, Schumann says that “many have been criticised for their lack of effectiveness, with evidence suggesting that they can inadvertently increase the risk of drug harm”.
Nine people were placed in medically induced comas after suspected MDMA overdoses at Melbourne’s Hardmission Festival earlier this month, with two others hospitalised following last week’s Juicy Fest. The incidents sparked renewed calls to state governments to legalise pill testing, with many saying the scale of the overdoses highlight the urgency of the issue.
Pill testing allows the general public to submit drugs for toxicological analysis indicating the contents, dose and purity of pills and powders. The Monash-led study notes that countries such as the Netherlands have used drug checking for over three decades to understand the dynamic recreational drug market, providing toxico-surveillance data to the European Union Early Warning System as part of the Drug Information and Monitoring System.
“There are no current plans to change the policy setting on drug checking”
Although critics argue that pill testing “condones drug use or providing patrons with a false sense of security over the contents of their drugs, the study concludes that: “Research demonstrates that people who both have and never used ecstasy report being no more likely to use it at a festival when drug checking is provided than when it is not.
“The importance of drug counsellors on-site as part of the drug checking operation, to provide context to the results provided and to counsel consumers on how to avoid harm from drug use, is integral to reducing harm.”
In 2023, a coroner in Victoria became the fourth in six years to call for the introduction of pill testing after a man died from an MDMA pill at a festival last year.
Australia currently has one drug checking service in the Australian Capital Territory, with Queensland also planning to introduce the system. But Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan says there are no plans for the state to follow suit.
“There are no current plans to change the policy setting on drug checking,” Allan told ABC Melbourne radio, as per The Age. “However, I am seeking further advice from the health department about what we’re seeing over the summer period. There is a lot of expert advice that’s already in this space, and I will acknowledge, too, there’s also reports from coroners’ processes previously. So I think it’s important to examine that evidence and advice.
“I also need to have further conversations with colleagues, ministerial colleagues who have the policy responsibility for this area. So I do want to get that advice, have those discussions.”
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Two deaths, 70 drug charges after Sydney festivals
Two men in their 20s died and a further 10 people were taken to hospital after attending the Knockout Outdoor festival at Giants Stadium, Sydney Showground.
The victims, aged 26 and 21, died in hospital after being treated by paramedics following the 53,000-cap electronic music event, which took place on Saturday (30 September). Promoted by HSU Events, it featured acts such as Head Hunterz, D-Block & S-Te-Fan, Wasted Penguinz and Darren Styles.
The Guardian reports that police are investigating the cause of both deaths, but were unable to confirm if the men had taken drugs.
“It’s not specifically being treated as a suspected drug overdose,” said Det Supt Simon Glasser, who suggested the warm weather could have been a factor.
“We look at all avenues. Anything could have happened,” he added. “This shows that people can die at music festivals. Drugs can have some horrible consequences. When you mix that with the heat of yesterday, it’s an added risk factor that can cause adverse effects.
“It’s horrible. These events are events to go and enjoy some music and have a lot of fun with mates, so it’s tragic people have lost their lives.”
More than 70 people were charged with drug offences during high-visibility police operations across Knockout Outdoor and Listen Up
Just last week, NSW Health issued a warning to the public of a high-dose MDMA tablet found to contain more than four times the average dose of other MDMA tablets in recent circulation.
More than 70 people were charged with drug offences during high-visibility police operations across Knockout Outdoor and Listen Up, which was held at Centennial Park on the same day. The weekend marked the start of Sydney’s summer festival season.
NSW police say 27 people have been charged with possessing prohibited drug at Knockout, while four people – two men and two women – were charged with supply prohibited drug.
Meanwhile, at the 27,500-cap Listen Up, which hosted acts including Ice Spice, Arrdee, Four Tet and Lil Uzi Vert, 85 people were detected in possession of prohibited drugs, resulting in 37 field court attendance notices, 29 criminal infringement notices and 19 cannabis cautions.
Additionally, eight people – five men and three women – were charged with supply prohibited drug, while two people were arrested for assaulting police, one for wilful and obscene exposure and another for breach of bail.
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Increase in spiking reported at Danish festival
Danish heavy metal festival Copenhell says it is “deeply saddened” by a worrying increase in drug spiking at this year’s event.
VIP Booking reports that organisers were made aware of up to 10 people who unknowingly had substances slipped into their drinks in the festival’s large party tent ‘Biergarten’, adding the trend has also been detected across the wider nightlife scene.
Festival booker and director Jeppe Nissen tells Kulturmonitor the event will “take measures to combat” the development moving forward.
“We are deeply saddened by this and urge everyone to contact us directly if they have had any experiences with drugging or possess any information that can help identify the perpetrators,” says Nissen.
The 35,000-cap Copenhell took place in Copenhagen from 14-17 June and featured acts such as Guns N’ Roses, Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Pantera and Slipknot.
“We have not previously recorded any incidents of drugging at Copenhell, and it has not been a problem that we specifically addressed or warned our audience about,” adds Nissen. “But when we see seven to 10 cases, unfortunately, we cannot say that we have done enough in terms of prevention. It is definitely a problem we will address and take measures to combat.”
“We’re delighted to join forces on our mission to stamp out spiking with the Association of Independent Festivals”
Other Danish festivals such as Smukfest are calling for further dialogue on the subject, while trade body Dansk Live has vowed to address the issue.
Elsewhere, the UK’s Association of Independent Festival (AIF) has announced a partnership with LGBT+ anti-abuse charity Galop and anti-spiking charity Stamp Out Spiking to bolster its Safer Spaces Charter.
Stamp Out Spiking was established to tackle increasing incidents of spiking across the UK and worldwide. The charity exists to highlight the dangers of spiking, and offer effective and practical solutions to keep people safe in pubs, clubs, house parties, festivals and beyond.
“We’re delighted to join forces on our mission to stamp out spiking with the Association of Independent Festivals,” says Dawn Dines, CEO and founder of Stamp Out Spiking. “Working together will make such a difference in safeguarding men and women at festivals across the UK. Highlighting how these cowardly crimes are taking place, sharing key information on the typical signs and symptoms, will make it so much more difficult for perpetrators and ultimately safeguard festival goers.”
The partnerships have contributed to new Safer Spaces resources that directly addresses the needs of LGBT+ survivors of abuse, and the broader issue of spiking.
“It’s important for AIF to work towards creating safer and more inclusive spaces for everyone, and work with those who provide specialised support,” says AIF membership & operations coordinator Phoebe Rodwell-Carson. “We hope to build on this with as many festival organisers as possible, supporting them in upholding their duty of care towards music fans and festival staff, whilst ensuring we remain inclusive and open to all.”
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One dead, 12 hospitalised after dance festival
One man died from a suspected drug overdose and 12 people required hospital treatment following a dance music festival in Australia.
Police conducted a high-visibility police operation at Transmission Music Festival, which was held at Sydney Showground on Saturday (11 February). The 18,000-cap event was headlined by Armin van Buuren and featured acts such as AVAO, Jeffrey Sutorius, Will Atkinson and Xijaro & Pitch.
Officers were called to Bankstown Hospital at about 3am yesterday to investigate the circumstances of the death of a 26-year-old man. Police were told the man – who had earlier attended the festival – presented at the hospital just before 1.30am for a suspected drug overdose.
More than 130 people were treated by medical professionals at the venue, with numerous complaints suspected to relate to drug use and heat exhaustion, with at least 12 people transported to hospitals for further treatment relating to drug use, with seven of those patients requiring intubation.
Six men have been charged with drug supply offences and an investigation is underway
Six men have been charged with drug supply offences and an investigation is underway.
NSW Police say the event was determined a high-risk event under the Music Festivals Act 2019, and as such, police were assisted by security officers, NSW Ambulance paramedics and medical professionals to provide a safe and secure environment.
During the operation, police arrested six men – aged between 19 and 33 – who were detected in possession of MDMA. A 23-year-old man was charged with supplying a prohibited drug after he was allegedly found in possession of 253 MDMA tablets, while a 21-year-old man was charged with supplying a prohibited drug and possessing a prohibited drug after he was allegedly found in possession of 149 MDMA tablets.
The other four men were issued court attendance notices for supply prohibited drug and are due to appear at court at a later date.
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Strip searches at SITG may be “unjustifiable”
A public inquiry into police conduct at last year’s Splendour in the Grass festival in Australia has found that 143 strip searches were carried out over the three-day event, including on seven minors.
According to the inquiry, illegal items were found on 12 of the 143 who were strip searched.
The New South Wales Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) opened the four-day inquiry to investigate the potentially unlawful strip search of a 16-year-old girl at the 2018 festival.
Police regulations in NSW state that a parent, guardian or support person must be present whenever an individual under the age of 18 is strip searched.
The inquiry found that the girl was one of six minors to be strip searched at the festival without a parent, guardian, or other supervising adult present.
It was also revealed that staff including shopkeepers and bar workers were also strip searched at the event. None were found with illegal items.
According to the inquiry, illegal items were found on 12 of the 143 who were strip-searched
Under NSW law, police can only carry out field strip searches if the “urgency and seriousness of the situation requires it”.
When questioned at the inquiry, a senior constable who performed 19 such searches at Splendour in the Grass said they could not “think of any” circumstance which would necessitate a strip search at a music festival.
Splendour in the Grass promoter Secret Sounds tells IQ that the team is “learning of these searches along with the general public”. The promoter is unable to comment further as the inquiry is ongoing.
The New South Wales festival celebrated record ticket sales for its 2019 event, which took place from 19 to 21 July at its site in North Byron Bay Parklands with performances from Tame Impala, Childish Gambino and the Lumineers.
Splendour in the Grass and fellow Secret Sounds-promoted festival Falls are part of a coalition of events threatening to leave NSW, after the government reintroduced “unworkable” festival legislation.
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Dutch minister: We need fewer festivals
The Dutch festival market remains one of the most vibrant in the world. EM Cultuur estimates the Netherlands’ festivals will receive 19.5 million visitors in 2019 alone, while IQ’s recent market report found that it’s “hard to find anyone, in fact, who doesn’t believe the Dutch live business is broadly in the prime of its life”. But what if, instead of there being lots of festivals, there weren’t?
That’s the question being posed by the country’s justice minister, Ferdinand Grapperhaus, who is calling for a reduction in the number of festivals to help police crack down on illegal drug use.
In the Netherlands, it is legal to possess small quantity of drugs at festivals for personal use, according to NLTimes.nl, though a larger quantity (ie for supplying) should see the owner hauled off to a police station for questioning. This, however, is hardly ever enforced, suggests Grapperhaus, owing to the sheer number of music events that need to be policed.
“The problem is that we have 1,100 festivals in the Netherlands”
“The problem is that we have 1,100 festivals in the Netherlands,” he says in an interview with the Telegraaf today. “Do we have to deploy all our police to that end?”
Asked by the paper whether he thinks the number of festivals should be decreased, he replies: “Yes. I think we should be critical and say: can we handle all this?”
The Netherlands, known for its liberal attitude towards drug use, most famous cannabis, is one of several European countries where authorities tolerate drug testing on festival sites as a harm-reduction measure.
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Drug testing saves lives at GTM Canberra festival
The Pill Testing Australia (PTA) consortium returned to Canberra-based music festival Groovin the Moo for the second time this year, with increased numbers of punters using the service and a higher quantity of lethal substances detected.
The consortium, previously known as the Safety Testing Advisory Service at Festivals and Events (STA-SAFE), detected seven lethal substances among the 171 samples tested.
The testing revealed the potential fatal samples to contain n-ethylpentylone, a substituted cathinone believed to be responsible for a number of deaths, detected for the first time in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) during the first drug-testing trial at Groovin’ the Moo last year.
PTA reports that in all seven cases, those found to possess potentially harmful substances elected to discard the drugs in the amnesty bin after learning about the dangers involved.
MDMA, cocaine, ketamine and methamphetamine were also identified during the trial at Groovin the Moo (20,000-cap.) which featured performances from Billie Eilish and Hilltop Hoods.
According to PTA, the second edition of the pill testing service was “overwhelmingly positive”. The organisation carried out twice the amount of tests as the year before, with 234 punters opting to use the service, compared to 129 in 2018.
Despite the success, PTA has announced that the drug testing at this year’s Groovin the Moo would be the last free trial it runs in the ACT, as enough data has been collected to prove the pilot works.
“This is a healthcare intervention and we are trying to encourage young people to learn a little about the stuff they are putting into themselves”
A PTA representative confirms that the consortium would like to continue testing but could not do so on a self-funding basis.
“Pill Testing Australia is a not-for-profit, we’re only looking at cost recovery,” says PTA co-founder, Gino Vumbaca.
The organisation is crowdfunding to run further pill-testing trials at music festivals, as well as exploring the use of public subscriptions and promoter-based funding. PTA has ruled out charging festivalgoers for the service.
“We will never charge the punter,” says PTA’s Dr David Caldicott. “This is a healthcare intervention and we are trying to encourage young people to learn a little about the stuff they are putting into themselves.”
The ACT is currently the only state in Australia to allow pill testing. ACT health minister Meegan Fitzharris says the state government is committed to “contemporary approaches”, focused on harm reduction, rather than punitive practices.
Groovin the Moo festivals taking place in Adelaide and Maitland, New South Wales (NSW), over the weekend (26 to 28 April) did not offer pill-testing services. NSW police said 14 people were taken to hospital with suspected drug and alcohol intoxication cases at the Maitland festival.
NSW has been at the centre of the pill testing discussion, following a strong of drug-related deaths at festivals in the region. The government has consistently rejected calls to introduce testing services, opting for the implementation of new licensing laws that demand detailed safety plans from festival organisers and impose significant licensing and security costs.
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Study: 1 in 4 people attend festivals sober
Streaming platform Cloud Cover Music has examined the changes in music festival experiences across the United States over the last few decades in a new survey asking respondents about sobriety, drug intake, sex, memorable acts and life-changing experiences.
The study finds that 24% of those surveyed reported being sober at music festivals. Alcohol consumption at festivals has been higher in the past decade than previously, rising from 64% in the noughties to 71%.
The survey finds that festivalgoers in the 1980s were more likely to consume marijuana or hard drugs, witness violence and rioting, have sex and witness nudity at a festival than they are now. 83% of attendees in that same decade described festivals as life-changing, compared to 53% in the 90s, 62% in the noughties and 65% now.
Burning Man consistently proved to be the least sober event, with 45% of festivalgoers saying they drank alcohol and consumed a mixture of drugs at the event
82% of respondents stated that Woodstock 1969 was life-changing, making it the most impactful music festival on the survey. However, the festival had only 17 survey respondents. Ultra Music Festival was voted the second most life-changing music festival with 78%, followed by Electric Daisy Carnival (75%) and Burning man (73%).
Burning Man consistently proved to be the least sober event, with 45% of festivalgoers saying they drank alcohol and consumed a mixture of drugs at the event. The results coincide with secondary ticketer TickPick’s survey of drug consumption at festivals last year. In contrast, 72% of respondents say they did not consume any substances at Warped Tour.
Across genres and festivals, Red Hot Chili Peppers were ranked the most memorable act at music festivals, with Jane’s Addiction, Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé and Tiësto also making the top five.
The full study can be read here.
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