Terrorism advice for gigging and touring musicians

The Musicians’ Union (MU) has published a new guide on how musicians can best protect themselves and others in the event of a terrorist incident. The guide outlines what gigging and touring musicians can expect to see at venues following the recent spate terrorist incidents around the world, including May’s Manchester Arena bombing and the attack at the Bataclan in 2015. The MU tells musicians to expect to see heightened security checks and make sure they properly tag their own bags.

The guide also offers up advice on what to do if you are unfortunate enough to be caught in the middle of an attack, reiterating the UK National Police Chief’s Council’s advice to run to a place of safety, hide and turn your phone to silent, then call 999. “Although there is no explicit need for concern, the recent terrorist attacks at the Bataclan in Paris and at the Arena in Manchester have demonstrated that music venues and gigs can occasionally be an attractive target for terrorists, and we want to ensure that members know what to look out for and what to do in the event of an incident,” said the MU.

You can read the MU’s ‘Guidance for Musicians – Terrorist attacks targeting music venues’ in full here on My Drum Lessons.