A sudden stoppage during a performance of the Royal Holloway Choir at St Andrew’s Church, Holborn, London has caused anger among concert-goers – including some very prominent figures. The incident unfolded on Friday evening, as the choir was nearing the conclusion of their special summer concert, which featured a highly anticipated final performance of Abba’s “Dancing Queen.”
As the event transitioned to its captivating climax, Jonathan Baker, Bishop of Fulham, took over. His intervention came just before the last song, which was meant to be performed. Baker would announce that the night was “done.” When he noted that it was already past 10 PM, this drew perhaps the loudest boos and shouts of anguish from the audience.
Witnesses described the moment as shocking. One choir member recounted, “Then, all of a sudden, the lights went out. At first I thought there may have been a power cut. But then the instruments were still playing.” This unexpected closure caught most attendees off-guard and frustrated as they were expecting to spend a pleasant evening listening to music together.
Moments after Baker’s announcement, one of the church staffers snatched the mic. They immediately backtracked and informed the audience that they had to exit because “this is a residential home.” This public reassurance, however, did next to nothing to assuage the anger of concert-goers. Those who attended were shocked that such an abrupt termination of the show should happen, finding it quite rude and disheartening.
Baker described the sound from the assembled choir and worshippers as a “racket.” This specific label stoked the ire of the public in attendance even further. The disruption came at an unexpected moment, just before the choir was scheduled to perform their climactic song to close the evening.
We were just about starting to break into song again when suddenly everything went silent. I’d be aware of this bloke in what appeared to be a bath robe just chatting to the punters on the mic, explained another choir member. The abruptness of the disruption caused many to first think that it was a joke or performance art. You know, at first I thought it was some kind of comedy skit, or some actor doing a routine. Indeed, they recount, “When we found out it was not an act, but something real, it was surreal.”
The bishop was adamant and said this was enough — it was time for all of you to go. Unfortunately, most attendees strongly protested the way this all played out. “There were boos and everything. It’s just really disappointing. At the end of these concerts, we always end on a real high and everyone goes home full of joy, but this dampened things,” said another choir member who was present during the incident.
Baker’s statements were not well received by those in attendance. Reportedly, he said, “You are in my house. Can you please leave my house now? His comments provoked further outrage from others who felt their own experience had been unjustly truncated.
A video recording of the incident went viral on social media, showing Baker ordering that the concert be shut down early. Thousands of viewers spoke up against the shocking decision. They told us they felt and experienced a consistent absence of respect for the artists and audiences.