testmeat photoblog

last week i went to brixton academy to see local natives in concert. as i was making my way in i was pulled to one side by a lady who wanted to ask me some questions. she half-flashed an id card which was strapped to her wrist and i immediately became defensive. first she wanted me to name the band, then where i bought my ticket from, then where i came from and then if i could name three songs by the band. it all smelt very similar to a few years ago when i was ‘randomly’ picked out, detained and questioned at a uk airport after i flew home from germany. i asked why she singled me out and she dismissively replied that they were just being vigilant against counterfeit tickets - because of course there is a clear correlation between how many songs i can sing along to and the validity of my ticket stub. i argued that if the tickets were fake then the barcode wouldn’t scan when i walked into the building, to which she just smiled and handed back my ticket. i couldn’t stop thinking about the exchange for the rest of the night, about how i should have acted or what i could have said. i started to compile a list - working out what would have been the most satisfying to say compared to what would have probably prohibited me from being granted access to the show. it bummed me out as i can name more than three songs by the band, but instead of singing along to them i was preoccupied by the lady in black who felt like i didn’t belong there.

here's the original