Drew's POV
It wasn't spontaneous. I had been expecting this for a while. We got hate all the time, so when we received another collection of insults and the odd death threat it wasn't like we hadn't had a douchebag drunk approach us with their venomous words before. So, if that's all true, why was this time so different?
This time they attacked Shane. This time they upset Shane to the surreal point of curling up on the rough, dirty sofa in our backstage dressing room and hiding his face on his knees, refusing to talk to anyone. This time they were going to get what was coming to them.
We were playing a gig in Wolverhampton, just a small rundown pub near the center; but we managed to sell it out. The gig started without fault and the fans seemed really into it, or so I thought. During our performance of our newest single; 'All Hallows Evil' Shane and I had a screaming part and I skipped up to the microphone and screamed as loud and inaudible as I could, except I heard nothing from Shane's microphone. Not a whisper. Turning towards my fellow band mates side I noticed Shane wasn't anywhere close to the microphones, he was facing away from the crowd, somewhat hidden by the drum kit, Luke looking across at him curiously. He played on, except he didn't interact, which was unlike him. I was about to confront him but the song finished, which meant we had to continue into the next song. During rehearsals we agreed to go straight into 'Fetish for the Finite' after 'All Hallows Evil' except as Luke started Laurence and Kier turned to him, making a cutting motion with their free hands. Luke understood and stopped drumming instantly.
"I swear if you say another word, I'll punch that fucking smirk right off that smug face of yours." Laurence boomed down the microphone, glaring down at the crowd. I stood glued to the spot, not quite comprehending what was happening. That was until I noticed the culprits for Laurence's anger. There were five men, all around the same age as us, if not a year or two younger. They shouted back incoherently, but it seemed that Kier and Laurence had no problem hearing their cries.
"Oh, you'll beat us up? Is that how you get your entertainment, you low life? You need to get a hobby, mate." Kier snapped loudly into his microphone that was attached to the stand.
"Thanks for buying a ticket but we really don't want you here. Get lost." Laurence continued.
"Take the other douchebags with you as well."
The men didn't make any effort to move and I walked closer to my band mates. Grabbing Kier's shoulder I whispered to him in attempt to make them stop. I've always been told that if you react, you're giving the haters what they want. "Ignore them, you're causing a scene."
Kier shook his head as one of the men shouted over me, this time I heard every word.
"Oi Fag, over here!" My head snapped up at his shouts. Was he talking to Shane? I looked across at my said friend and watched as he refused to do as the men had asked. He stayed glued to the spot, fists curled around his beloved guitar tightly and eyes glazed over.
"Don't be a pussy we only want to talk!" My head snapped back towards the crowd, a scowl etched across my face.
We mutually agreed that no amount of arguing was going to stop them from screaming profanities so we continued to play. 'Fetish for the finite', 'Handlung (Stargazer)' and 'Bow Ties on Dead Guys' finished the show nicely. The men continued to shout abuse, mostly directed at Shane for unknown reasons, followed by the occasional throwing of their empty plastic cups once filled with alcohol at the poor man's back. Shane seemed to stay composed and professional, playing the rest of the duration of the show still with his back turned. The fans didn’t seem to mind though, aiming their glares at the men who were targeting their beloved 'timid'. Plus I overheard a few shout to their friends "I've got so many photos of Shane's arse!" Which made me chuckle, I have to remember to tell Shane that later.
