'Cigarettes After Sex' fans unconvinced ‘technical glitch’ caused cancellation

Bengalureans want accountability for the last-minute cancellation of the recent concert by Cigarettes After Sex (CAS). Comedian Trevor Noah’s 2023 show was called off similarly.

The Bengaluru leg of CAS’s India tour was scheduled for Tuesday, 7 pm, at Bhartiya Mall, Thanisandra. With roughly an hour to go, the popular American pop band posted on Instagram that they were cancelling the show “due to technical difficulties which were the responsibility of local production (sic)”.

Neither Laqshya Media Group, the company that produced the tour, nor the mall offered further explanation. Laqshya is headquartered in Mumbai and has an
office in Bengaluru. Ticketing platform BookMyShow (BMS) promised “a full refund within 8-10 working days”.

‘Can’t be tech’

There is speculation that the sound system malfunctioned. Shree Nellai, a resident of the township where the mall is located, heard soundchecks from Sunday until Tuesday afternoon. Entrepreneur Vijay Nadadur heard soundchecks until 5.30 pm while standing in line for the concert and, thus, finds the tech glitch theory hard to believe.

Anuka Sushma says the matter should be investigated. The edtech professional, who has previously worked in the events space, says, “There’s no technical issue that event companies can’t pre-empt or solve. Did they run into licensing issues?”

Technical snags can lead to delays, not cancellations, says Oum Pradutt, who runs an event management firm. Differences in expectations between creative and technical teams may lead to “bizarre” decisions, he surmises, adding that Bengaluru’s expertise in hosting live gigs should not be doubted.

Inconvenience

Deena Pinto says ticket refunds are an “easy way out” to close the matter. The CAS show was a post-birthday gift for herself. The influencer had posted a ‘Get Ready With Me’ reel before leaving for the concert from Electronics City, over 30 km from the venue. The cab ride cost her “over Rs 1,500”. To beat the evening traffic, she took a cab, metro, and auto to get home, arriving only by 11 pm.

Anuka had taken a day off from work. Richa (name changed) let go of an internship day. Many chose to work from home to reach the venue 2-3 hours in advance. The road leading to the venue is infamous for traffic gridlocks.

Some fans had travelled from Kerala and Delhi. Aadya Maheshwari came from Hyderabad by train, and her friend arrived by bus from Chennai. The engineering student says, “I’m not upset about my train or hotel fare going to waste. I had been counting the days to see my favourite band since I booked the tickets in July.” Art director, Kaushik Reddy, who had flown from Hyderabad, echoes her sentiment.

‘Alert delayed’

Fans criticised BMS Live, which curated the concert, for not notifying fans about the development promptly. They overheard the news while walking into the venue or standing in the queue, or from friends’ texts. Public relations professional Saina Jayapal finds the delay in communication in the age of technology appalling. BMS told Metrolife they sent out WhatsApp and SMS alerts immediately, but network issues could have caused “delays”.

DIY concert

Fans were largely under 25 and dressed in black, the unspoken dress code for CAS shows. Post-cancellation, many streamed CAS songs like ‘Cry’ and ‘Apocalypse’ inside the mall, recalls software engineer Naveen Reddy. Even F&B outlets there started playing CAS tracks.