Bollocks to Poverty supporter Cora Preece recently put on a gig to raise money for ActionAid. Read her story and get advice on putting on your own gig below.
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Why I wanted to put on a Bollocks to Poverty gig
It had been two years since I last held a Bollocks to Poverty gig. ActionAid gave me an amazing opportunity to campaign with them at Reading festival - I met some amazing people and learnt so much about the charity so I wanted to give something back.
Getting started
One thing I would strongly recommend when you are planning your event is to make sure you have all the information on venues and bands before committing.
We had issues with our original venue which put a huge delay in the whole process - to the point where I was like a 2 year old having a paddy throwing my toys out the pram!
However, we didn’t give up and with less than 2 weeks to go, we spoke to a local pub and they were happy to help. As it was a charity gig, they let us hire the venue for free (as they would be making money on the bar) and even put out donation buckets on the bar on the night.
We respected them by keeping the venue clean and also helping ID any gig goers to avoid any trouble. Wristbands are a great idea for this, brightly coloured and you can even get the Bollocks to Poverty logo printed on them so people remember the event.
Promotion will be a big part of your event
I have learnt for future events that I could have done more to promote my event! ActionAid give you lots of materials that come in handy for promotion - flyer and poster templates, ideas for getting into the media and press release advice.
Social networking is also a great tool for promotion - Facebook, Twitter, Myspace etc. Even if you think you are annoying everyone (I know I did!) it sticks in their minds and they will show up!
Don’t do it on your own! Get your friends and the bands involved.
Even though this project was like my little baby, definitely do not hold a gig on your own! There is so much to organise and promote – and it’s an amazing rush when the event is happening, but you could also crash and burn!
Luckily I had backing from Chris Parker from a local youth radio show, Notorious Online, who managed to keep me sane through the process!
I am also so glad I had some friends alongside me for this event. Oliver Parker from Lock Up Studios, Chesterfield, helped a great deal with sound equipment and even stayed to run the PA system through the night.
Laura Clayton who took some brilliant photos of the bands though the night, also helped me give out leaflets and stickers and helped on the door.
Even 70 year olds can mosh
The bands were amazing, Gone by Seven, the youngest band of the night impressed the crowd with their catchy songs and also unexpected covers that they made their own.
Local post-hardcore band A Dishonest Truth, kept the atmosphere going and got all ages moshing even a 70 year old metal lover!
Finishing off the night were the fantastic Take the Seven, they had the crowd under a spell, even had them singing along and sitting on the floor at one point! These boys are doing amazing and I was so chuffed that they agreed to play the night.
Don’t be scared, just get involved and do it!
Despite a stressful start, we ended up raising £150 for ActionAid! What made this event most worthwhile was seeing people’s positive reactions after the event which showed me that I had succeeded in bringing the issues and hard work that ActionAid does to a few more people’s attention.
I would like to thank everyone that was involved and would recommend it to anyone!
We have been invited back to put another gig on a weekend night, so my fingers are itching to get planning. I have plans to make the next one bigger and better, as this event was a major confidence boost. Can’t wait to do it all again!
Put on your own Bollocks to Poverty gig!
