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| Manchester's night-time adviser backs drug testers for festivals and clubs | Manchester's night-time adviser backs drug testers for festivals and clubs |
| (6 months later) | |
| All big UK clubs and festivals should include drug-testing laboratories, says the nightclub impresario tasked with championing Manchester’s night-time economy. | All big UK clubs and festivals should include drug-testing laboratories, says the nightclub impresario tasked with championing Manchester’s night-time economy. |
| Sacha Lord, whose role as Greater Manchester’s first night-time economy adviser was announced Wednesday, said he saw “no negatives” in clubs opening their doors to drug testers. | Sacha Lord, whose role as Greater Manchester’s first night-time economy adviser was announced Wednesday, said he saw “no negatives” in clubs opening their doors to drug testers. |
| Lord, 46, who runs the Parklife festival and set up the Warehouse Project, one of the top 20 clubs in the world according to DJ magazine, pioneered forensic testing at raves, spurred by the death of Nick Bonnie, 30, a clubber who collapsed at the Warehouse Project in 2013 after taking almost 15 times the standard recreational dose of MDMA. | Lord, 46, who runs the Parklife festival and set up the Warehouse Project, one of the top 20 clubs in the world according to DJ magazine, pioneered forensic testing at raves, spurred by the death of Nick Bonnie, 30, a clubber who collapsed at the Warehouse Project in 2013 after taking almost 15 times the standard recreational dose of MDMA. |
| Fiona Measham, a professor of criminology at Durham University, has been testing drugs confiscated or posted into an amnesty box at events run by Lord since 2013. Her charity, the Loop, will be working this weekend at Parklife. If she finds dangerous substances, warnings are put out on social media and sometimes on LED matrix boards like those seen on motorways. | Fiona Measham, a professor of criminology at Durham University, has been testing drugs confiscated or posted into an amnesty box at events run by Lord since 2013. Her charity, the Loop, will be working this weekend at Parklife. If she finds dangerous substances, warnings are put out on social media and sometimes on LED matrix boards like those seen on motorways. |
| You can’t take a potato peeler to Parklife festival – and Liam Gallagher is to blame | |
| Lord, who rarely drinks alcohol, said he could see the pros and cons of “front of house” testing, where clubbers hand in drugs and return a short while later to be told what is in their pills or powder. | Lord, who rarely drinks alcohol, said he could see the pros and cons of “front of house” testing, where clubbers hand in drugs and return a short while later to be told what is in their pills or powder. |
| The Loop gives revellers individually tailored 15-minute “harm reduction interventions” on the dangers of the drugs, with no suggestion of arrest or confiscation. | The Loop gives revellers individually tailored 15-minute “harm reduction interventions” on the dangers of the drugs, with no suggestion of arrest or confiscation. |
| Lord said there was nothing to stop people, at that point, from taking the rest of the batch of their drugs, but many did not. “From what I understand from Fiona Measham, 25% of drugs were then thrown in the bin, because they contained things like plaster of paris.” | Lord said there was nothing to stop people, at that point, from taking the rest of the batch of their drugs, but many did not. “From what I understand from Fiona Measham, 25% of drugs were then thrown in the bin, because they contained things like plaster of paris.” |
| He said he “sat on the fence” about front-of-house testing. He looked forward to seeing the early results of the initiative. Asked if he thought other big clubs and festivals should introduce “back of house” tests, where the drugs would not be given back, he said: “I do, yes. I can’t see any negatives at all.” | He said he “sat on the fence” about front-of-house testing. He looked forward to seeing the early results of the initiative. Asked if he thought other big clubs and festivals should introduce “back of house” tests, where the drugs would not be given back, he said: “I do, yes. I can’t see any negatives at all.” |
| On the same weekend last month that two young people died at the Mutiny festival, in Portsmouth, Measham was testing drugs at the Bristol festival Love Saves the Day. There she found Punisher ecstasy tablets containing 330mg of MDMA, three times a normal dose for a whole evening. “Take two of those and you’re dead,” said Lord. | On the same weekend last month that two young people died at the Mutiny festival, in Portsmouth, Measham was testing drugs at the Bristol festival Love Saves the Day. There she found Punisher ecstasy tablets containing 330mg of MDMA, three times a normal dose for a whole evening. “Take two of those and you’re dead,” said Lord. |
| As Manchester’s night-time adviser, Lord could also be spending time helping restaurants and bars cope with an epidemic the drug spice. | As Manchester’s night-time adviser, Lord could also be spending time helping restaurants and bars cope with an epidemic the drug spice. |
| This year the owners of a popular cafe in the Northern Quarter district complained that addicts had stolen tips and threatened them regularly. “Been told we’ll get face smashed in for asking spice addicts to move along,” tweeted North Tea Power. Other businesses in the district had similar complaints. | This year the owners of a popular cafe in the Northern Quarter district complained that addicts had stolen tips and threatened them regularly. “Been told we’ll get face smashed in for asking spice addicts to move along,” tweeted North Tea Power. Other businesses in the district had similar complaints. |
| “It’s definitely a problem,” said Lord, who said tackling the issue would be one of his priorities. “We all want more policing.” | “It’s definitely a problem,” said Lord, who said tackling the issue would be one of his priorities. “We all want more policing.” |
| Lord was hired by Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester’s mayor. He follows in the footsteps of Amy Lamé, who has done the same job in London for two years. But unlike Lamé, who competed with 180 people for the £35,000-a-year part-time role, Lord will not be paid; and he did not apply for the post though he lobbied Burnham on the importance of nightlife before the Labour politician won the inaugural mayoral elections in May 2017. | Lord was hired by Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester’s mayor. He follows in the footsteps of Amy Lamé, who has done the same job in London for two years. But unlike Lamé, who competed with 180 people for the £35,000-a-year part-time role, Lord will not be paid; and he did not apply for the post though he lobbied Burnham on the importance of nightlife before the Labour politician won the inaugural mayoral elections in May 2017. |
| “The night-time economy is the fifth biggest industry in the country, employing more than 8% of the UK’s workforce, and here in Greater Manchester we have always recognised its importance,” said Lord. | “The night-time economy is the fifth biggest industry in the country, employing more than 8% of the UK’s workforce, and here in Greater Manchester we have always recognised its importance,” said Lord. |
| According to Burnham, employment in the night-time economy has grown 45% faster in Greater Manchester since 2001, compared with the UK as a whole, and proved to be more resilient than other sectors. | According to Burnham, employment in the night-time economy has grown 45% faster in Greater Manchester since 2001, compared with the UK as a whole, and proved to be more resilient than other sectors. |
| Lord has little time for those who accuse politicians in Manchester of bulldozing much-loved nightclubs to make way for yuppie apartments: the Haçienda, the house club owned by New Order and Factory Records, was turned into flats. | Lord has little time for those who accuse politicians in Manchester of bulldozing much-loved nightclubs to make way for yuppie apartments: the Haçienda, the house club owned by New Order and Factory Records, was turned into flats. |
| “People always go on about the Haçienda and have this image of it always being packed out but the truth is it had perhaps two successful years, if that. It really struggled at the end and had issues with drugs. [The Factory Records head] Tony Wilson supported it being turned into flats.” | “People always go on about the Haçienda and have this image of it always being packed out but the truth is it had perhaps two successful years, if that. It really struggled at the end and had issues with drugs. [The Factory Records head] Tony Wilson supported it being turned into flats.” |
| Lord said he believed Manchester had more in common with Berlin than London. He said he applauded the decision of the Berlin senate to offer the same tax breaks to big clubs such as Berghain as they did the state opera house, in recognition of the clubs’ economic and cultural contribution to the city. “I can never see that happening [here] if I’m honest,” he said. “But Parklife this weekend brings £9.8m to the local economy, which is why the council really support the festival.” | Lord said he believed Manchester had more in common with Berlin than London. He said he applauded the decision of the Berlin senate to offer the same tax breaks to big clubs such as Berghain as they did the state opera house, in recognition of the clubs’ economic and cultural contribution to the city. “I can never see that happening [here] if I’m honest,” he said. “But Parklife this weekend brings £9.8m to the local economy, which is why the council really support the festival.” |
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| Clubbing | Clubbing |
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| Greater Manchester | Greater Manchester |
| Andy Burnham | Andy Burnham |
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