Inside sell-out gig Russell Brand did this weekend as news broke of allegations against him

As news broke of allegations of rape and sexual assault against Russell Brand, he was preparing for a sell-out gig in London. As part of his Bipolarisation tour dates, Brand was appearing in London on Saturday night, and despite everything claimed this weekend, the show went on as normal.

Following a joint investigation with Channel 4’s Dispatches, The Times and The Sunday Times, accusations from four women of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse were made public. The allegations, which Russell Brand has vehemently denied, are from 2006 to 2013, in the height of his career as a comedian and TV presenter.

As the allegations were being reported and a Dispatches documentary special aired, Russell Brand’s Bipolarisation tour was still taking place. Here’s what happened.

On Saturday, Russell Brand performed a sell-out gig in London

At the same time as the Dispatches documentary airing, Russell Brand was performing live in London. He went on stage at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre at 8pm, an hour after the scheduled start time, and an hour before the air time of Russell Brand: In Plain Sight on Channel 4. He was performing as the documentary was on, with the comedy show finishing shortly after 9pm.

Russell blamed his lateness on traffic, saying he was stuck on the M40. A tannoy played out to audience members informing of his late arrival, but confirming “he is 100 percent on his way and is looking forward to seeing you soon.”

When he came out onto stage, Brand was greeted by cheers from people in attendance. 2,000 people were reported to be in the sell-out crowd, and one woman held a sign which read: “We stand by you, Russell. Stay strong, stay free. We love you xx.”

During the performance, Brand addressed the allegations, and told the crowd: “There are obviously some things that I absolutely cannot talk about and I appreciate that you will understand.” He asked fans not to take photos of him, and promised to do a “fantastic show”.

“You came,” he added, and said: “I appreciate you, I appreciate you.” He thanked the audience, and said he appreciated the ongoing support. However, it was reported Brand was “distracted throughout” and constantly “referring to a piece of paper” during his jokes.

The show came to an end with another round-of-applause and a standing ovation. Brand told the crowd: “Thank you for a wonderful evening. I really appreciate you being here. I love you. I’m sorry I was so late. I hope you have enjoyed it. I hope you know I love you. Stay close. Stay awake. Stay free. Thank you.”

‘I doubt it somehow. In my heart, I don’t believe it’

Sky News was outside the event, speaking to people who were in attendance. One said they were “done” with supporting Russell Brand, even though he has denied claims, and said they “stand by women”. They said they had bought the tickets with someone else, and didn’t want to let the other person down, so still came to the show.

Another said: “I don’t believe anything until.. you need to see the evidence. I doubt it somehow. In my heart, I don’t believe it.”

Whilst another women said “anything that is an accusation you need to have the due course”, a man could be heard shouting “he’s innocent” in the background. “He’s made a statement online and he says he’s not guilty,” the woman being interviewed concluded.

The show came to an “abrupt” end at around 9:05pm, with one audience member saying they hadn’t expected it to be finished so soon. The Mail reports they said: “I didn’t expect it to finish so soon. It was an abrupt end. I know the Dispatches is about to start, he probably had to rush off to watch that. It’s very weird. I didn’t think he’d be late considering he finished the show so soon.”

Other gig venues are cancelling upcoming shows with Russell Brand

According to reports, despite the London gig going forward over the weekend, the Theatre Royal in Windsor is considering cancelling its date, scheduled for Tuesday evening.

ITV news journalist Paul Brand said a meeting with theatre managers is believed to currently be taking place, and ticket holders will be updated in due course. “Cancellation of this gig would put the rest of the tour in jeopardy, with two further dates planned this month,” Paul tweeted.

Update: The Theatre Royal has now confirmed Tuesday’s gig has been postponed, and Brand has reportedly cancelled three further gigs.

If you’ve been affected by this story or are the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or by calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.

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• New investigations and cutting ties: All that’s happened since the Russell Brand allegations

• A Dannii Minogue interview has resurfaced where she called Russell Brand out in 2006

• Everything Russell Brand has been dropped from following sexual assault allegations

Featured image via Rob Latour/Shutterstock and shows Brand at the Person of the Year Gala in 2020.