A free concert from ‘We shall Overcome’ folk punk collective with a collection for Hackney Community Food Hub.
Rounding off NGMH's 'FESTIVAL OF DISSENT', folk punk collective We Shall Overcome performs and we collect for Hackney Community Food Hub.
WE SHALL OVERCOME was created in May 2005 as a response from the music community to the poverty and hardship inflicted on ordinary people by the government’s austerity program. Since October 2015 it has organised more than 1100 gigs up and down the UK and beyond, raising an estimated £750,000 in cash, food, clothing and bedding for those hardest hit. WSO scooped the ‘People’s Choice’ gong at the annual Yorkshire Grassroots Music Awards on 16th October 2015.
JOE SOLO
Joe Solo is an award-winning musician, writer, poet, activist, broadcaster and washing machine engineer from Scarborough. He is a powerhouse, continually using his music in solidarity with those in need. 21 albums, a series of children’s books, a weekly radio show, serious historical research, and organising a Mayday festival, in addition to a full time job, testify to his legendary energy and commitment. His music has been recognised by John Peel, Mike Harding, Tom Robinson, and he has opened for Paul Heaton &Jacqui Abbot and Billy Bragg.
STEVE WHITE & THE PROTEST FAMILY
Steve White & The Protest Family are punk minstrels who bring the traditions of the folk club, picket line, basement punk show, football terrace and boozy pub sessions to the stage. Their tales of modern times, set in the band’s east London base of Walthamstow, are savage, witty and thought-provoking, pulling no punches while poking fun and righteous wrath at the rich and powerful. Steve & Co. have organised and performed at We Shall Overcome events up and down the country since 2015 and continue to support other organisers and acts doing the same.
WELSH FOLK PUNK GRRRL EFA SUPERTRAMP
Efa Supertramp is from Cardiff and performs a bilingual set. Her last album attracted many enthusiastic reviews. Here is just one:
“So there’s a lot of rage and defiance characterising Efa Supertramp’s new solo album ‘Apocalipstick Blues’ but also moments of great beauty and tenderness… It’s a really really wonderful album.” – ADAM WALTON, BBC INTRODUCING
PLUS SUPPORTS TBC
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WE SHALL OVERCOME – A RAISED FIST AND A HELPING HAND
Child poverty, food banks, benefit sanctions, cuts to disabled support, carers in crisis, soup kitchens, rough sleeping, homelessness, mental health crisis, pawn shops, payday lenders, gig economy. Why do these things exist in one of the richest economies on earth?
We Shall Overcome is a movement of musicians, artists, activists and community organisers who are angry about the human costs of austerity policies but who want to do something practical to help those affected.
How it works
We organise events – online or in the real world. Each event is used to directly help the community in which it is based. Some events ask for donations of provisions for their local food bank, others charge a moderate fee and take cash donations in a bucket. To become a part of We Shall Overcome all you need is the desire to see an end to Austerity, and the guts to do something about it – if you have, then join us.
What we have achieved so far
The first We Shall Overcome took place over a weekend in October 2015, when 250 gigs in 123 towns raised an estimated £125,000 of cash, food, clothes and bedding for those hardest hit by austerity. Every year since we have battled on. The Covid-19 Pandemic pushed us online with live streamed events during lockdown. Our Isolation Festival on Easter Sunday 2020 raised £28,000 to keep our front line support networks running when gigs couldn’t fund them.
In total, We Shall Overcome has run more than 1100 gigs and events. We don’t tally exact amounts, but we think we’ve raised close to £750,000 worth of food, cash & clothing. As the cost of living crisis lands on those already struggling with Universal Credit, zero hours contracts, poverty wages, housing shortages and benefit sanctions, we will be fighting back for as long as it takes.
If you want to join us, PLEASE get in touch. You CAN make a difference.