Entertainment

Singers stream 24-hour music festival in coronavirus fundraiser for gig venues


Scots musicians are using their talents to raise cash for under-threat gig venues across the country.

For the past fortnight, dozens of up-and-coming artists have been performing live on Facebook for a ‘Sofathon Singalong’ series of concerts in support of charity the Music Venue Trust.

And today, a packed programme of new and established stars, including Bathgate singer Luke La Volpe, Cameron Barnes and Stephanie Cheape, KT Tunstall and The View’s Kyle Falconer, are teaming up to deliver a mammoth 24-hour online music festival straight from their own homes.

With live shows being postponed for at least the next few weeks amid the global coronavirus pandemic, the virtual concerts aim to provide some much needed relief at music venues up and down Scotland, which are the life-blood of every budding musician.

KT Tunstall will perform via the King Tut’s Facebook page at 10pm

Luke La Volpe, a pal of Lewis Capaldi, kicked off the #SofathonSingalong on Wednesday, March 18 with a free show streamed on Instagram Live in aid of the charity, which helps grassroots venues to survive in an already difficult environment.

Luke nominated three other artists to play their own shows, up-and-coming Glasgow singers Stephanie Cheape and kitti and Greenock band Black Dove, who will support Luke at his rescheduled King Tut’s gig on September 4.

Stephanie Cheape was one of the first performers to get involved

Luke La Volpe is a pal of Lewis Capaldi and kicked the online event off in March

Word spread and Sofathon gigs have taken place every night since.

Luke said: “Me and the band had to announce that our sold out King Tut’s gig in May has moved to September, which is a bit disappointing but obviously for the best in the circumstances.

“It’s going to be really hard for grassroots venues over the next few months and we want them be able to carry on when we come back. We decided to use my live-streamed gig from home to tell people about the Music Venue Trust, which gives these places a load of help and advice.

“We thought other artists might like to help, so we came up with the ‘ice bucket challenge’ style nominations.

“It took off like a rocket and so many artists signed up that we thought we could make a kind of online festival out of it. It’s crazy what you can achieve when your sat at home on the sofa with nothing else to do.”

The back-to-back live streamed gigs kicked off at 12pm and also feature hot emerging acts like Lucia and the Best Boys, Walt Disco, Medicine Cabinet, Neon Waltz, The Ninth Wave, Kitti, Kerri Watt, Swim School, The Howl & The Hum, Prose, Zuzu, HYYTS, Hunter and the Bear and many more.

All the live sets are being streamed via legendary Glasgow venue King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, as well as the Gigs In Scotland and Glasgowist Facebook pages.

The full lineup and times can be found @SofathonSingalong on Facebook and Instagram.

Find the online crowdfunder for the Music Venue Trust here.





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