This bishop was not having it—Apparently, the choir hit a real wrong note
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It’s not every day you see a bishop in a dressing gown, barefoot, and brandishing a microphone to evict a choir from his own church—but that’s exactly what happened at St Andrew’s Church in Holborn, central London, last Friday night.
And thanks to the wonders of social media, nearly 400,000 people have now witnessed the spectacle for themselves!
Let’s set the scene: The City Academy Voices choir, a well-loved group known for their uplifting performances, was wrapping up a special summer concert in front of a 300-strong audience.
Spirits were high, the music was flowing, and the night was shaping up to be one to remember.
That is, until the lights suddenly blazed on and a rather grumpy Bishop Jonathan Baker, the Bishop of Fulham, stormed the stage—barefoot and clad in his dressing gown, no less.
Grabbing the microphone, Bishop Jonathan declared, ‘You are in my house. It’s gone past 10pm and this is a terrible racket. Goodnight. You are in my house – can you leave it now please. Thank you, it’s over.’
The audience, understandably, was stunned. Some thought it was a comedy act, others a bit of performance art. But as the reality set in, the mood shifted from confusion to disbelief.
A church employee quickly followed up, asking everyone to leave quietly because, as it turns out, the church is also a residential home. This only added fuel to the fire, with the crowd responding with boos and jeers.
But the choir, ever the professionals, decided to go out with a bang—delivering an impromptu a cappella rendition of ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’ to rapturous applause. If you’re going to be kicked out, you might as well do it in style!
So, what went wrong? According to those present, the choir had booked the venue (which is available for hire and has hosted concerts before) and had even performed there previously without any issues.
The concert had simply run a little late, reportedly due to earlier technical difficulties. But for Bishop Jonathan, enough was enough.
Benedict Collins, who attended the concert with his ten-year-old daughter, summed up the confusion: ‘The church willingly rents out the premises for performances, for money. They can hardly be surprised if they take bookings for concerts and there is music in the hall.’
Source: @hornbergercello / Tiktok.
Choir director Leigh Stanford Thompson echoed the sentiment, describing the incident as ‘bizarre’ and admitting that many initially thought it was all a joke.
‘We all went out to the pub afterwards and took it all in. Everyone was in astonishment really,’ Thompson told The Guardian. ‘I do find it funny. I’m not particularly upset. We had a really good concert but I think it’s a real shame that we didn’t get a chance to finish. But now looking back, what a way to go out.’
The Diocese of London has since confirmed that Bishop Jonathan reached out to the organisers the next day to apologise for his late-night intervention, acknowledging that the concert had overrun due to technical hiccups.
But not everyone was ready to forgive and forget. One choir member lamented, ‘At the end of these concerts, we always end on a real high and everyone goes home full of joy, but this dampened things.’
They also took issue with the bishop’s ‘racket’ comment, insisting, ‘I think we produce a beautiful sound.’
Read more: Organist James O'Donnell shares what it's like working with the royals at Westminster Abbey
Have you ever witnessed (or been part of) a community event that went off the rails? Do you think the bishop was right to step in, or should he have let the music play on? And what’s the most memorable way you’ve ever seen a concert end? We’d love to hear your stories and thoughts in the comments below!
And thanks to the wonders of social media, nearly 400,000 people have now witnessed the spectacle for themselves!
Let’s set the scene: The City Academy Voices choir, a well-loved group known for their uplifting performances, was wrapping up a special summer concert in front of a 300-strong audience.
Spirits were high, the music was flowing, and the night was shaping up to be one to remember.
That is, until the lights suddenly blazed on and a rather grumpy Bishop Jonathan Baker, the Bishop of Fulham, stormed the stage—barefoot and clad in his dressing gown, no less.
Grabbing the microphone, Bishop Jonathan declared, ‘You are in my house. It’s gone past 10pm and this is a terrible racket. Goodnight. You are in my house – can you leave it now please. Thank you, it’s over.’
A barefooted Bishop Jonathan Baker interrupted a choir concert at St Andrew's church in Holborn, demanding the performers and audience leave after 10pm, calling the music a 'terrible racket'. Image source: @hornbergercello / Tiktok.
The audience, understandably, was stunned. Some thought it was a comedy act, others a bit of performance art. But as the reality set in, the mood shifted from confusion to disbelief.
A church employee quickly followed up, asking everyone to leave quietly because, as it turns out, the church is also a residential home. This only added fuel to the fire, with the crowd responding with boos and jeers.
But the choir, ever the professionals, decided to go out with a bang—delivering an impromptu a cappella rendition of ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’ to rapturous applause. If you’re going to be kicked out, you might as well do it in style!
So, what went wrong? According to those present, the choir had booked the venue (which is available for hire and has hosted concerts before) and had even performed there previously without any issues.
The concert had simply run a little late, reportedly due to earlier technical difficulties. But for Bishop Jonathan, enough was enough.
Benedict Collins, who attended the concert with his ten-year-old daughter, summed up the confusion: ‘The church willingly rents out the premises for performances, for money. They can hardly be surprised if they take bookings for concerts and there is music in the hall.’
Source: @hornbergercello / Tiktok.
Choir director Leigh Stanford Thompson echoed the sentiment, describing the incident as ‘bizarre’ and admitting that many initially thought it was all a joke.
‘We all went out to the pub afterwards and took it all in. Everyone was in astonishment really,’ Thompson told The Guardian. ‘I do find it funny. I’m not particularly upset. We had a really good concert but I think it’s a real shame that we didn’t get a chance to finish. But now looking back, what a way to go out.’
The Diocese of London has since confirmed that Bishop Jonathan reached out to the organisers the next day to apologise for his late-night intervention, acknowledging that the concert had overrun due to technical hiccups.
But not everyone was ready to forgive and forget. One choir member lamented, ‘At the end of these concerts, we always end on a real high and everyone goes home full of joy, but this dampened things.’
They also took issue with the bishop’s ‘racket’ comment, insisting, ‘I think we produce a beautiful sound.’
Read more: Organist James O'Donnell shares what it's like working with the royals at Westminster Abbey
Have you ever witnessed (or been part of) a community event that went off the rails? Do you think the bishop was right to step in, or should he have let the music play on? And what’s the most memorable way you’ve ever seen a concert end? We’d love to hear your stories and thoughts in the comments below!
