St Paul’s Cathedral’s unlikely partnership with London nightclub Fabric to bring concerts to the venue has spawned backlash from critics for allowing people to “dance on graves”.
One of London’s most recognisable buildings, the place of worship and tourist destination is joining forces with legendary electronic venue Fabric, which will be the cathedral’s exclusive music events partner until 2030.
The first concert is due to take place on 29 October, and while the performer is yet to be announced, the organisers have said that the events will feature performers from a range of different backgrounds and disciplines.
Yet the concerts were met with outcry from the family of Lord Horatio Nelson, who is buried at St Paul’s, and called staging concerts at the venue “an insult to Lord Nelson’s memory”.
Peregrine Hood, president of the Nelson Society and a descendant of his brother, told The Telegraph: “Is nothing sacred any more? What a sad reflection on where spiritual integrity and Christianity are today. St Paul’s Cathedral positioning itself in this way is deeply depressing.”
Hood claimed that the offence was about more than just his ancestor, but St Paul’s as a historical and religious site.
“Nelson came from a family steeped in the Church, and perhaps it is this misuse of a holy site that would have caused him even greater unease than the prospect of dancing on his grave,” he said.
The Independent understands that the concerts are seated, with attendees told at the start that they must remain seated for the duration, and do not place in the Crypt of St Paul’s, where Nelson’s tomb is located.
The Independent has contacted Fabric for comment.
The Fabric partnership is by no means the first time concerts have taken place at St Paul’s. The venue has hosted gigs since the 1950s, with legendary artists including Paul Robeson and Patti Smith playing there over the decades.
Beginning in 2023, the concerts staged at the historic landmark have been predominantly electronic and pop focused, with Fabric helping out behind the scenes to stage these concerts from 2024.
Of the new partnership, Fabric’s co-founder Cameron Leslie said: “Fabric has always been about bringing people together through music and creating experiences that stay with people. The opportunity to do that at St Paul’s Cathedral over the next four years is incredibly exciting for us.
“It’s an extraordinary and unexpected coming together of two very different parts of London, and we’re looking forward to building on the success of the events we’ve already held and creating something genuinely special and befitting of this incredible space.”
However, critics have argued over the years that staging concerts in churches or cathedrals strips these places of worship of their sacred meanings.
In 2024, Canterbury Cathedral was met with backlash for hosting a series of sold-out silent discos, which critics dubbed a “rave in the nave”.
A petition saying that the events “will not bring young people closer to Christ” and rather send the message that “entertainment deserves our attention more than God” garnered more than 1,600 signatures.
