I noticed this evening in the "Sun" newspaper an advert for a company advertising tickets for Brixton on 28 March. The company is called 'getme tickets.net' and the prioces are £295 for both unreserved circle seats and front stalls standing.
So much for avoiding the touts.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!
Let me tell you about Get me Tickets.....
He hasn't got tickets now ( obviously )
But if you bought them there's a 99% you'll get in on the night.
He has ways and means.
And he 's always advertising stuff he hasnt got tickets for.
But he somehow always manages to get them.
And if anyone is shocked at his prices.....they're no more of a pisstake than the official ones IMHO.
I attend most Brixton Academy gigs and the most expensive one I recall was Bob Dylan @ £35.
Queen + whatshisface @ £55.00 is really taking the piss.
Touts always have tickets because they are prepared to put in the work to get hold of them. They are generally backed by enough money for them to be ale to get hold of tickets "at any price". That money will come from crime as the touts answer to their own form of pimp.
And the tickets are 80% genuine in my experience - in all the years I've been to shows and sold tickets to or brought tickets from touts, I've never seen ANYONE refused entry because of a fake ticket. It's all a facade put up by the promotors / venues etc to ensure that people have some doubt placed int heir minds as to the validity of their ticket.
If you're not too bothered about where you are in a venue, the best thing to do is to go along ont he night and hang around until the very last minute - just before the band goes on, ask a tout for a ticket - chances are you'll be able to pick one up for £10, simply because they have to be able to get SOME cash for the tickets that they have. And you can get hold of som e real bargains
I thought the same as you Benn, and I generally still do. But at The Killers gig back in November the guy in front of me was refused entry because of a fake ticket, after paying £50 off a tout. So I'd always advise people to be careful of such things.