A Los Angeles-based band reportedly faked an online fan-base to entice UK venues to book them.
Jered Threatin — the sole member of heavy rock band Threatin — claimed to have hundreds of ticket-buying fans, booking a string of shows off the back of a strong social media presence.
Before playing The Underworld in Camden, London, the singer-songwriter’s agent allegedly claimed that 291 tickets had been sold before the show. However, the venue claims only three people showed up.
Earlier in the week, something similar happened at The Exchange in Bristol; the artist’s promoter claimed to have sold 180 tickets, yet no-one turned up to watch the set.
A member of Ghost of Machines, who were supporting Threatin, told NME that there was a scuffle with the venue’s manager, who forced Threatin to pay for the tickets.
“It turned out that the promoter had lied about tickets sales and all of the confirmed attendees on Facebook were fake accounts based in Brazil,” the band member said.
The show went ahead, with Threatin’s performance being described as “energetic, despite the empty room” and that “his session musicians were very good”.
The BBC reports that the group’s show at The Empire, Belfast, still looks set to go ahead. A spokesperson for the venue said: “We’re aware of the situation regarding this booking. We will update when it has been clarified.”
With Threatin’s Facebook and Twitter profiles down, there’s no word on how many tickets have been sold.
