We Shall Overcome
Whats it all about?
We Shall Overcome took place over the first weekend in October 2015. A simple idea quickly eventually became 250 gigs in 123 towns across 8 countries on 3 continents, raising an estimated £125,000 of cash, food, clothing and bedding for those hardest hit by austerity.
From the words of the “We Shall Overcome” crew: Every weekend across the UK we have an explosion of music and culture. It’s something to be proud of – Gigs, open mics, poetry, stand up. It makes our communities vibrant and strong. But we also know that in our communities people are being hit hard by homelessness and poverty. There is a human cost to the politics of austerity.
‘We Shall Overcome’ is a simple shout out to the people who make our culture happen – the musicians, artists, promoters. For one weekend, let’s do what we do but let’s do it under one unified banner – We Shall Overcome. Let’s do it together to show our solidarity and send a message that we don’t agree with austerity politics.
Get Involved
This was definitely a project we wanted to be part of. Following our “Sing for Your Supper” tour it tied in perfectly with our efforts only on a much larger scale. Over the first weekend in October musicians from all walks of life performed for free to raise funds and awareness for this fabulous cause.
We were asked to perform at 2 gigs, one on the Friday evening at The Snig in Runcorn and the other at the beautiful Nordic Church in Liverpool on Sunday.
During both of the gigs audience members were asked for a donation of cash or food for local food banks instead of paying musicians or promoters for an evening of music. Everyone volunteered from camera crew to sound technicians and ticket collectors to flyer designers. It was a fantastic success, the response was overwhelming and we are looking forward to the next one. A huge thanks goes out to all the volunteers and organisers; especially to Val Colvin, Ste Goodall & Derek James.