Mark Morriss festive gig at Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth cancelled amid allegations of domestic abuse

The show – Mark Morriss and Friends – has been a festive fixture in Portsmouth for more than 10 years, but this year’s gig at the Wedgewood Rooms will not be going ahead.

Wedgewood Room’s general manager Geoff Priestley said no reason for the cancellation was given by the event’s promoter.

He said: ‘He just cancelled. If there was a reason we would have put it out.

‘The promoter of the gig told me that the gig wasn’t happening.

‘There is nothing to replace it with.

‘We’ve got a few gigs that aren’t going ahead...some of which we hadn’t announced yet – it’s the nature of how things are at the moment. It’s the nature of the beast at the minute.’

He added: ‘Mostly business has been good – shows have been quite good, numbers have been good. Things have gone back to normal.’

The sudden cancellation of the gig – which had been scheduled for Tuesday, December 28 – comes as Mark Morriss denies allegations of ‘abuse and gaslighting’ made by a former partner.

In an essay published on Substack, Anna Wharton said that Morriss was abusive to her on more than one occasion during their decade-long relationship.

She said police had previously visited the household but that Morriss told them she was lying about her allegations.

Speaking to The Guardian, the Slight Return singer said: ‘I may have been thoughtless and selfish in some of the dealings in my personal life of late, but these allegations of abuse and gaslighting are wholly untrue, and I refute them completely.

He said that his personal life had ‘certainly gotten into a hell of a tangle, people have undoubtedly been hurt because of me’ and that ‘in many ways, all this coming to light is a great relief’.

The indie artist added: ‘I am sincerely sorry for everything to anyone caught up here.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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