Jazz4Calais – a musical benefit night in Cardiff to support vulnerable people in the camps in northern France
A volunteer group in Cardiff is organising an evening of music at The Depot, featuring international jazz performers, Liane Carroll and the Neil Lockwood Band. Neil is originally from Cardiff played in ELO Pt2 and The Alan Parsons Project. The gig has been organised by Brian Murrell, a freelance television sound recordist from Rhoose and Norman Gettings, of Llandaff North, who recently visited Calais as part of a volunteer group. After seeing recent news coverage from the camps in Calais and Dunkirk and hearing first-hand stories from friends who recently travelled to the camps, Brian decided to find a way to contribute to organisations that work with migrants living in squalid conditions of the camps in northern France.
“There’s a different news story every day about the camps and what is happening there”, said Brian. “I just wanted to find a way that I could make a real contribution to the aid work that’s going on every day. Liane is a good friend and I’m a huge fan of her music. When I asked her if she would come to Cardiff and play for us, she didn’t hesitate for a second. Liane is an internationally renowned artist, so given her touring schedule and other commitments; it was difficult to pin down a date.”
He persevered and the event will take place at The Depot, on Cardiff’s Dumballs Road, on Tuesday, 22 March at 7.30pm. Owain Mathews of The Depot, said, “This is a great cause and we are happy to make the venue available.”
Tickets are priced at £15 (waged) and £5 (unwaged). Brian wants to ensure the night is accessible to as wide an audience as possible, with food and drink available. Brian said, “We need to ensure it’s a successful fundraiser, so I am covering the costs for staff and venue. The Depot has been fantastic and we’re hoping traders might contribute a percentage of their take on the night. We have great performers and it will be a fantastic night of music. Arrangements have come together very quickly. What we need now is for people to come out and support us. One hundred percent of the money we take on the door will go to help migrants. At the end of the day, it’s about sending help to men, women and children who are in a desperate situation. They are cold, wet and hungry and living in awful conditions. The least we can do is raise a little money to help them.”
