Stunt double David Holmes, who stood in for Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter films but was paralysed during an on-set accident, has criticised the lack of access for disabled people at music venues around the country.
Holmes, who remains good friends with Radcliffe, is the subject of a new documentary on Sky and NOW called David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived. In it, he describes the accident in January 2009 during a pre-production test for Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows that left him seriously injured and partially paralysed. Despite his condition worsening since then, he has taken up car racing, launched a production company and started a podcast with Radcliffe which aims to raise awareness of the risks stunt actors face. However, he has struggled to attend music events with friends who are also wheelchair users.
“Finding tickets for two wheelchair users to be next to each other in a concert is rare as rocking horse shit,” he told NME in an exclusive interview. “It’s hard for people with a disability to engage and get those experiences when we’re fighting 1500 wheelchair [users] and there’s only five spots in the accessible area.”
He continued: “I tried to go and see [DJ and producer] Fred Again.. at Brixton Academy, an inaccessible venue, just before he blew up. It broke my heart because he’s now the most in-demand person.”
He told NME that “one day, I will get in a bed and I won’t get out of it”, but he is determined to accomplish much before then. Currently, he is keen to start working on a wheelchair-accessible music festival.
“I want to call it Fest-able,” he said. “It needs to be on the right grounds. And we would like wheelchair spots all the way down on a gradual slope with flat areas and then the centre of it. So no one stands up in front of wheelchair users – and then the standing bit would be right in front of the stage.
“I watch Glastonbury every year and cry. I would love that connection, the community of people that brings people together… When you’ve lost as much feeling as me, anything that makes you feel… you’re reaching for. Music does that for me.”
He added: “Me and my friends are all wheelchair users… And you can’t get five of us together and all get a ticket [to a gig] and all go and share that experience together.”
Research conducted by disability-led charity Attitude Is Everything in 2021 found that 50 per cent of disabled music fans were eager to return to full capacity live shows after COVID restrictions were lifted, though founder Suzanne Bull MBE previously acknowledged many had “real and deep-seated fears” about the safety of live events post-lockdown.
In 2019, a different survey found that UK venues and rehearsal spaces were seriously failing disabled musicians, with 70 per cent of disabled musicians saying they’ve hidden their disability for the sake of their career.
O2 Academy Brixton was forced to shut its doors following a fatal crowd crush that occurred at an Asake concert back in December 2022 – and is currently going through a rigorous safety overhaul. In September, Lambeth Council gave the south London venue the green light to re-open, but said the venue would need to adhere to 77 “extensive and robust” conditions “designed to promote public safety”.
On its website, the Academy says its venue is accessible to disabled people and that “there is level access to most of the main auditorium”. They also say that the venue works closely with Attitude Is Everything “to continually improve access for all our customers”. Disabled customers are encouraged to call or send an email for more details on wheelchair-accessible spaces at shows.
Glastonbury Festival also works with Attitude Is Everything and, per its official website, “is committed to being an event accessible to all”.
NME has reached out to Glastonbury, O2 Academy Brixton and Attitude Is Everything for comment.
‘David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived’ is out now on Sky and NOW