A metal show in Dunedin, New Zealand, reportedly took a grim turn when attendees say the mosh pit became contaminated in scenes that left some people distressed, sick, and covered in human waste.
The alleged incident happened during Devilskin’s concert at the University of Otago’s Union Hall on July 25.
People at the venue claimed one concert-goer defecated on the floor in the middle of the crowd, with the mess then being spread through the pit as people continued moving around.
One attendee, Damian Radburnd, said he witnessed what happened from close by.
Speaking to Stuff, he said:
“The guy who was directly in front of me proceeded to shake a log down his leg.”
He said he and others tried to move away before alerting security.
Damian said:
“We shuffled to the side a metre or three, then I realised that I needed to alert security. One guard came over, and verified with me the culprit and saw the offensive material on the floor.”
The disruption was serious enough that the band paused the performance, with singer Jennie Skulander asking from the stage what had gone on.
After audience members told her someone had used the floor as a toilet, she responded:
“Poo. EW!”
Later, the band referenced the incident in an Instagram post, jokingly advertising a “Diaper of Doom” for future gigs.
They wrote in the caption:
“After some unique feedback from our gig in Dunnydin, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to provide Devilskin fans with the ultimate companion for your Be Like The River 10th Anniversary Tour experience!
“Devilskin’s ‘Diaper of Doom’ has you covered front-to-back, start-to-finish. Catch us on tour while you can!”
The band’s tour is continuing, with several New Zealand dates still to come in Tauranga, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Hastings, Auckland and Wellington.
However, Otago University Students’ Association president Daniel Leamy described the situation differently, saying it should be treated as a medical matter rather than deliberate behavior.
Per The Sun, he said:
“The individual involved remained fully clothed throughout, and this was in no way a deliberate ‘code brown’ situation. They were willingly escorted from the venue by security once staff had assessed the best course of action.
“Staff evaluated and managed an unforeseen and sensitive situation safely and professionally.”
Others at the concert painted a more chaotic picture, saying many in the packed crowd did not realize what they were stepping in until the smell spread.
One witness said:
“It wasn’t like, ‘I’m sick and I’ve s… myself’. It was like, ‘I’m gonna ruin this gig and s… on the dance floor’,” another witness said, noting other people were stepping in it before realizing what had happened.
“I think the smell triggered lots of people to then vomit. The smell obviously hit them and then people started spewing in response to that. Is that quite common for a metal gig?”, she asked.
Another attendee said the mess had been carried across the floor and onto people’s clothes and skin.
Per The Sun, they said:
“It was a rock and metal concert so there was a lot of jumping.
“And then eventually someone must have, like, looked down and noticed that there was just a huge mess of s***, just completely spread all in the mosh pit, like, all over the floor.
“It’s on people’s feet. People are wearing skirts and s*** is up their legs and stuff, and then one girl went bleh — just vomited on the s*** — and then everyone else starts vomiting.”
They continued:
“When this was happening, there’s people in the foyer, and you would have thought someone had died. They were just bawling their eyes out – they were just hysterical.”
The same witness also described seeing distraught gig-goers dealing with the aftermath.
They said there was a:
‘lady with vomit in her hair, s*** on her legs, and just crying, crying, crying’