London has long battled accusations of big city rudeness, but could the capital be reaching its own peak? The most hallowed parts of London’s unspoken etiquette are being violated (take off your backpack on a busy Tube, people), as are its institutions. In the arts, both theatre and music scenes have witnessed a shift. A 2023 survey revealed 90 per cent of theatre staff reported having directly experienced or witnessed poor audience behaviour, with 50 per cent considering quitting as a result. And last summer, London’s crowd at British Summer Time festival joined those concert audiences who have thrown objects at performers, with singer Pink having to dodge a bag of someone’s mother’s ashes.
