Overview

• On Friday at St Andrew’s in Holborn, Bishop Jonathan Baker invoked a 10pm noise curfew and instructed the choir and audience to vacate the church.
• Dressed in a gown and barefoot, Baker told the roughly 300-strong crowd that their Motown medley was a “terrible racket” before ending the show.
• The choir responded with an impromptu a cappella of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” drawing cheers as performers and patrons filed out.
• TikTok videos of the disruption prompted wider discussion about enforcing residential church curfews and the balance between venue rentals and clergy oversight.
• On Saturday the Diocese of London confirmed Baker’s apology to organizers, citing technical difficulties for the overrun and stating no further action will be taken.