Form 696 is a risk assessment that club promoters and the like must complete before holding events. The information is forwarded to the Metropolitan Police, who then run detailed checks on the performers and the events they have played at in the past, and from that, they assess the level of threat and violence that the proposed night holds.
In it's infancy,the form was to ask for the ethnicity of the performers, their age, their real names and other information that many, artists, promoters and fans alike thought both intrusive and a hinderance to the future of live music in the capital. To some, the notion of having to state the ethnicity of the performers reeked of racism, with many clubbers forseeing an attack on clubs and events with a large black population.
After much speculation and lobbying from the Musicians' Union, Form 696 was revised. The need for ethnicity information has been purged as has the focus on live events, instead the focus of the form will be events that take place between 10pm and 4am, in nightclubs or bars, have been promoted well in advance and last but not least, events that feature DJ's or MC's performing to a backing track. What this means, is that clubnights ("raves" for those old enough to remember all-night nirvanas in air warehouses and soundsystems) will in effect be under fierce attack, to the point where many skeptics and forum fiends believe that clubland will in effect die out.
For example, there is a popular garage night that runs between those hours and beyond in a club and because of the nature of that particular scene's culture, hearing an MC over a backing track, (which I have interpreted to mean DJ set or live PA) these clubnights may be no more. Similarly, a thriving clubnight that takes place in the bustling City district, has a similar criteria, again, because of the changes madein Form 696, these nights could be at death's door. This in theory could also be applied to concerts, with artists being refused shows for fear of leaving the promoters in violation of Form 696. As we speak, I am mulling over why the "MC" tag has been thrown in. One could speculate, that had it not, clubland in its entirety, (which would include those in the heart of the city, which play host to professional athletes and the woman that hunt them) would dissolve over night. Hmmmm.
These of course could be seen as nothing more than doomsday prophecies from one of the planets more darker theorists but I believe they are not. As we speak, a grime rave, due to commence in a weeks' time, is currently under fire and in fear of cancellation because of Form 696 (the hold up being that one of the performers has a criminal record), which if it is cancelled, is yet another blow to a scene that runs into difficulty when trying to secure clubnights (and everyone wonders why some of the scenes brightest and best decide to make saccharin-drenched-synth-laden-numbers.)
This is something that troubles me greatly, not because it is an attack on a particular type of music, not because it may be seen as an attack on a particular race/creed/group of people, but simply because this is something that will only get worse, it will only lead to confused and energetic young people, who in their attempts to blow off steam may just land themselves in situations that will do them no good.
So if you are someone who has ever enjoyed a clubnight, please, read the changes made to Form 696 and if you have an opinion, if it troubles you, if it makes you think about the memorable nights spent with friends, basking in the glow of strobe lights and cutting a rug until the early hours of the morning, then please, use your voice, tell someone, anyone, tweet them, poke them, use your status update if you see fit, but do something, for I fear that at some stage in the not to distant future, even that may be something that we no longer have jurisdiction over.
For more information, read here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi
PS: if I am wrong or misinformed, feel free to correct me, it is the only way I'll learn.
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