Arctic Monkeys have taken to Twitter to vent their frustration at struggling to get tickets to their Royal Albert Hall show – while secondary ticket sites have them on sale for £700.
To celebrate the launch of their acclaimed new album ‘Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino‘, Alex Turner and co will play the iconic venue in the capital on Thursday June 7 to raise money for the charity War Child.
Fans were invited to enter a ballot system, before receiving a unique code that would enable them to try and purchase tickets. However, a great many of those who entered then received an email where the code was blank.
Those in search of tickets then claim that the website didn’t even request a unique code when they went on sale, making the ballot redundant. Tickets are currently on the secondary ticket website Viagogo for around £700 – despite the band saying that “tickets will be invalid if sold or purchased through non official re-sale partners”.
SeeTickets took to Twitter to apologise for the confusion, while other fans replied with anger at not being able to buy tickets:
We apologise to those who received an email regarding the Arctic Monkeys ballot today which did not contain a code. A new email has been resent and this will be with you before Midday today.
— See Tickets (@seetickets) May 24, 2018
And now you’ve deleted this tweet pic.twitter.com/mu6hHKcIx9
— Stuart (@MrStuieLooie) May 24, 2018
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Before ticket on sale and already showing many areas (incl. cheapest tickets) sold out. pic.twitter.com/D69k4VYM5A
— Pippa S ?? (@chime_) May 24, 2018
By making the codes redundant you have made the ballot redundant, and so all those who entered didn't stand any greater chance of getting tickets, over anyone who didn't.
— Lara Goldstraw (@LaraGoldstraw) May 24, 2018
the website never asked for the code, tickets on viagogo for thousands already
— Neil Richard Clark (@neil_clarky) May 24, 2018
While I have no problem donating to charity, and no problem not getting a ticket I do have an issue with the misleading e-mail and a massive problem with ''charity'' gig tickets for sale on other sites for vastly inflated prices. Are the touts giving the profits to charity??
— Just get on with it (@Thomashollern) May 24, 2018
https://twitter.com/Fifi12694450/status/999615050297085952
£2 ballot to “Use your unique one time code”yet no code is needed and available to everyone? And sold out in literally 30 seconds? Tickets already out from touts? More like a scam than a charity drive! Shame #ArcticMonkeys
— Jo Leigh Austin (@SmashingTvs) May 24, 2018
NME has approached SeeTickets for a response. Aside from TRNSMT Festival, this will be the band’s only UK show until they return for a full tour in September.
In their initial email to fans, Arctic Monkeys wrote: “All tickets will be named. The lead booker must arrive with their guest and show an ID which matches the name on the ticket. Twickets is the official and only re-sale partner.
“Tickets will be invalid if sold or purchased through non official re-sale partners.”