Speaker Biographies
John King - Professional Musician & Independent Campaigner
John King is a professional guitarist and independent campaigner for reform of the Licensing Act. He has first-hand experience of losing work due to the Act, and has also encountered rigorous over-enforcement by some Licensing Authorities.
John is co-author of a report into licensing conditions in St Albans. The report is the first of its kind and reveals that St Albans Council have imposed or accepted licence conditions that restrict the frequency and regularity of live music performance in 53% of pubs with live music permission. There are restrictions on the number of performers permitted in 35% of pubs with live music permission, and a further four pubs and one restaurant have a restriction on the genres of music that can be performed.
The survey discovered licence conditions that restrict busking, morris dancing and choral music. 81% of restaurants in St Albans now have no authorisation for live music. Prior to the Licensing Act 2003 all the restaurants surveyed were authorised for live music under the ‘two-in-a-bar’ rule.
Based in Harrow and Hertfordshire, John works in sectors hardest hit by the licensing regime, performing in restaurants, pubs, clubs and hotels.
