A popular Glasgow gig venue has warned that "confusing" Brexit rules are damaging the independent music scene.
Chris Cusack, manager of Bloc, spoke out after German punk band Trigger Cut were stopped from entering the UK by border guards who ordered them to produce documents no one had told them about.
The band was set to perform at the Bath Street venue on Tuesday but instead were left humiliated and thousands of pounds out of pocket after being told they would be sent home if they didn't produce "Certificates of Sponsorship" (COS) for all seven venues they were due to play at, reports the Daily Record.
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Chris, 42, slammed the Brexit red tape and told of the impact it's having on small venues in Scotland.
He said: "We sent all the documents we were asked for. Requesting COS documents is ridiculous. These certificates mean that venues are legally responsible for acts for 90 days which is totally unreasonable when you are only putting them on for one night.
"When gigs are cancelled we still have staff to pay. Then we lose all the money we have paid out on promotion, as well as what we have had to spend on infrastructure and engineers.
"Venues are struggling. It's getting really difficult."
Chris added Scotland is also "haemorrhaging touring acts" with many bands pulling out of gigs last minute due to Brexit bureaucracy and complications with documents.
He continued: "I got a call from the Trigger Cut when they got detained in customs, the guys were despondent. After this, I don't see them coming back.
"It's now becoming impossible for me to book international bands. I'm getting phone calls from groups who are deciding to drop the UK leg of their tours completely.
"They are looking at the extra costs due to Brexit and seeing horror stories like this and deciding not to come."
Derrick Johnston, 40, who runs Conroy's Basement venue in Dundee also told the Record Brexit rules are having a devastating impact on the industry. He said: "This is a total nightmare. Brexit has affected not just my business but every part of independent live music.
"I have an Italian band that I've worked with for nearly 10 years. They have been coming to the UK for 20 years and this is the first tour they've lost money. I don't think they'll be back, the environment is just so hostile toward them.
"Costs of putting on a show have more than doubled. So many bands and grassroots venues are going to go out of business. Never before have we had pages and pages of bureaucratic paperwork demanding information.
"The information provided by the government is so opaque we can't seem to get a straight answer about what artists need to come here. UK touring bands can't go to Europe and European bands can't come to the UK because of the bureaucratic mess we are in."
Deborah Annetts, Independent Society of Musicians chief executive, said: "Musicians and the creative industries were frankly left behind when the Trade and Cooperation Act was negotiated and examples such as the recent experience of Trigger Cut are the result.
"We need to them to find solutions to the complicated new rules affecting UK artists who wish to tour in the EU as well as European artists wishing to come here. Without an urgent rethink our musicians as well as audiences will continue to miss out."
A UK Government spokesperson said: “All visa applications are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with the immigration rules. The application process is designed to ensure that all visa decisions can be made using the most accurate information and is fair for all applicants.”
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