Over 600 morris dancers assembled in Trafalgar Square earlier this month to celebrate the exemption of morris dancing from the 2003 Licensing Act, which draws together a patchwork of regulations covering performances in licensed premises.
The unprecedented gathering was also staged to draw attention to other traditional folk activities that are not covered by the exemption. John Smith, General Secretary of the Musicians’ Union, observed “The fact remains that the new regime imposes the greatest level of licensing control for live music in pubs and other small venues since entertainment licensing was introduced in 1753.” Of particular concern to musicians is the loss of the ‘two-in-a-bar’ rule under which licences were previously not required for performances by just one or two musicians. Among musicians and performers there is widespread dissatisfaction that unlike live performance, juke-boxes and TV broadcasts, including those of live football matches, are not to be regulated. The Act will now become law over the next few months, and while some discrepancies should be ironed out during a final consultation period, some anomalies are expected to remain, not least in the exact definition of traditional dancing. John Bacon, President of the Morris Federation said, “Whilst we are pleased morris dancing is exempt, it is a continuing cause of concern to many in the folk world that the Licensing Act 2003 will prevent other traditional activity.”