A costly puff as you rock
5:12pm Monday 8th October 2007
Of course, Happy Mondays' lead singer Shaun Ryder was wrong to smoke on stage at the new Carling Academy Oxford.
He isn't the first to do so, and no doubt he won't be the last.
It is the thing rock singers do, and have done so since rock came in in the 1950s.
Some singers see it as part of their act.
But clearly, in view of the ban on smoking in public places, they will now have to think seriously about whether it is wise to continue the practice.
The penalties for individual singers may be small - up to £50 - but the real threat is to the bosses of rock venues, who could face a fine of up to £2,500.
No management would be able to stomach too many fines of that magnitude.
Following complaints, Oxford City Council, which is responsible for enforcing the no-smoking regulations, has launched an investigation into Ryder's lapse.
It may be lenient this time, giving him and the Carling Academy no more than a gentle slap on the wrist.
But that is unlikely to continue if Ryder and other singers like him continue to flout the law.