Music

Don't play Adele too loudly unless you want your record collection confiscated and destroyed

by Mark Teo

There’s no doubting that Adele is one of the world’s most popular artists: Today, Spotify declared that “Make You Feel My Love,” was the world’s most perfect love song, rated ahead of steamy classics like Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing.” While other artist earn literal pennies on royalty cheques, 21 earned Adele nearly $55 million last year—this, despite the fact that she hasn’t released an album in three years. But despite her popularity, her albums should come with a warning: Don’t play “Rolling in the Deep” too loudly.

Last November, a British teen learned this the hard way. According to The Daily Mirror, a neighbour complained that 18-year-old Thomas Alcock played Adele songs so loudly, her staircase shook. He was served with a noise abatement notice—a legal order that essentially called him a nuisance—but days later, Alcock was still bringing the Skyfall heat, blaring out Adele songs up until 1:30 a.m.

“It was so loud the handrails on a stairwell were vibrating and neighbours could identify the singer as Adele,” the prosecutor said in court.

Alcock was warned that his music equipment and his CD collection—which Alcock says he prized, as they belonged to his late father—would be seized and destroyed.

But, rumour has it, dude kept blaring songs like this.

In fact, the teen admitted to breaching the noise abatement notice four times. So, court magistrates ordered that his CD collection, and his music equipment, be seized and destroyed. The council is now tasked with disposing of the equipment.

Alcock has since moved away from his cranky, tired neighbours, but he’s not done paying his dues: He still owes more than $300 in fines for the incident.