Our Sansar’s first fundraising event Change for Change took place in Shoreditch’s fine and trendy East Village Club on the last day of March 2010. In aid of the children’s home and school to be built in the outskirts of Janakpur, Nepal, the proceeds raised that night amounted to £380.00 which will go directly towards the planning and construction of the home.
The night kicked off with live music from Brian Boru (born Brian Semple).
This young, pounding folk singer hails from Belfast and has been singing and playing the guitar and mandalin since he wore his hair long and rough as a teenager. He got the crowd swaying on Mother Mary and Far From My Maker's Eyes, smiling with tunes such as Last Time We Met and Sparkle & Glide and then hooting for more with Home. Although time ran out and his mandalin lay forlornly on the floor expecting to be stringed, he had set the atmosphere for a great night of
music.
Singer-songwriter, post-renaissance, punk rocker Mentac (born Rory Myers) lulled the crowd into a tipsy, dimly-lit ocean of rhythm and rock. He hails from Brighton where he and Jon Hardy formed Divers, a critically acclaimed but never mainstream, post-hardcore rock band. Influenced by Joy Divison, REM, Fugazi and Rocket from the Crypt he banged out tunes attempting to invade the chatter and laughter that sat stage left (unable to clearly see him) on the big black couches of the East Village Club. However, for those directly between him and the bar, his music impressed many.
A few mojitos later – with 50p of the price going towards Our Sansar’s children’s home in Nepal – Shriek of an Eagle could do no wrong. A mysterious band, who change their name regularly and avoid the media and MySpace spotlights, held the stage confidently and with positive energy and smiles. One of their members has played with the Super Furry Animals (according to one fan). Alternating between violin and keys, the only female musician added an impressive sound to the already tight, intricate guitar chords and beats. We’ll see more of them hopefully (if it’s possible to find them)!
Headline act turned up fashionably late (due to London traffic) but this did not deter their fantastic set. Swing Youth look cool and they sound cooler. Squeezing their instruments on (and off) the stage, was Louie on drums, lead singer David on guitar, tight red t-shirt-wearing bassist Jimmy and donning a long overcoat and large hair Chris on keys. At this point, they gave the crowd – just under 70 people – exactly what they wanted. Fast, cutting rhythms of pop and punk, Swing Youth were lively, Swing Youth were pumping, Swing Youth were cracking. Tunes such as Blade of Grass and Myself to Blame got the crowd matching the music with their dancing and bouncing. Their single Jennifer//Hey Keith will be released in April.
Maybe it was just because it was a full-moon, but the night was enjoyed by everybody. Wearing black Our Sansar t-shirts, Our Sansar staff and volunteers kept things moving smoothly, calming nerves and organising logistics during the night. East Village Club staff also shone in their white t-shirts behind the bar, tossing mojitos and serving Guinness to the Irish and Polish contingencies.
Lauren Dougall, Our Sansar events co-ordinator has been volunteering with Our Sansar for just over a year: ‘I’m delighted with how our first fundraising night turned out. Although more people coming is always an advantage, those who came had a great night, the bands rocked and the East Village Club venue was great for this event.’ Julia Krepska, Director of Our Sansar agreed: ‘It was our first fundraising event and I’m very pleased with the outcome. We raised a substantial sum which will go a long way in Nepal. We even recruited some extra volunteers! Our next event will be the FSI Challenge Walk/Run in the Lake District in June, so I hope that will be just as successful, but in no doubt a very different way!’
A big thank you to all those who came on the night and hopefully see you again for another great Our Sansar night. Please refer to the website for updates on the construction of the children’s home and our Street Child Education Project taking place in 10 schools in Nepal working towards rehabiliating street children. You can also follow us on Twitter, and if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook. For more photos click here.
