In this instalment of Folk & Mirrors we want to tell you everything you need to know about our upcoming fundraiser on the 26th September.
If you have been following Act Happy then you will know that we organise several fundraising gigs a year for local charities. Our last one was in May when we raised £300 for All Creatures Great & Small at Le Pub. Thank you so much to everyone that came along, it was a fantastic evening!
This time we are venturing to Cardiff to raise money for Umbrella Cymru. We wanted to find a charity that supports LGBTQ+ rights as well as helping young people in South Wales, and Umbrella Cymru does just that. They are Gender and Sexual diversity support specialists that improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in Wales, which includes vulnerable people and young people. You can check out their website for more information on their specific projects: umbrellacymru.co.uk
We have really enjoyed playing at The Moon in Cardiff as part of their monthly Folk Nights. The venue has kindly offered to host our event for free, which means that all money from ticket sales can be donated to the charity. The Moon is an accessible venue on Womanby Street and is a vital part of the grassroots music scene in Cardiff. The venue is 18+ only and you may be asked to show ID on entry, so please keep this in mind if you are planning to come along to the fundraiser.
We are always so grateful to the artists who agree to play our fundraisers for free. Previous line ups include Katie Lou, Isembard's Wheel, Adam Morgan, Greg Ryan, Blind Baby, Joseph Everett and Ryan Keyse. But who are the amazing artists for this event?
Kicking off the night will be Our Mother The Mountain, a Doom Folk singer/songwriter. Their music explores dark, primal themes with gravelly yet melodic vocals. You can listen to some of their tracks on Spotify - ‘Blood & Bone’, ‘Sway’, and ‘Days Of Rage’.
In the middle of the line up will be ourselves, Act Happy, with 45 minutes of original songs including ‘O’Malley', ‘Drunk’, ‘Susan’, and ‘Broken Glass’.
Our headliners for the evening are Crisis Talks, a 3 piece alternative rock band. They have all the angst and grit of a classic 90s band but with a modern twist. You can listen to their debut album ‘Heavy Is The Heart’ on Spotify. They will be doing an acoustic set to celebrate their upcoming acoustic EP, but even without the distortion their music still packs a punch.
We usually have a fixed ticket price for gigs, but this time we are trying out a ‘Pay What You Can’ approach. Live music should be accessible to everyone, and we understand that people are struggling with the rising cost of living. We normally charge between £6-£8 a ticket, but we would love to see as many people at the event as possible even if you can only afford to donate £1. If you would like to donate more, any amount would be gratefully received.
We understand a lot of our regular supporters are based in Newport which means additional travel costs when coming to support us in Cardiff. We hope to see as many of you as possible, but if you can't make it please spread the work and and encourage your Cardiff friends to come along. If you are planning to travel from Newport then you can save money by using the ‘tap on, tap off’ train ticket, or you could share taxis or organise a car pool to save some cash!
You can buy tickets by searching for the event on Eventbrite, following the link in the facebook event, or going to the ‘shows’ section of our website where you will also find a link to purchase tickets. We will be selling tickets and accepting donations on the evening via cash and card, but buying your ticket in advance will save us a lot of stress wondering whether or not our event will be a success. If you cannot attend but would still like to donate then please get in touch.
There is an FAQ section on the Eventbrite link, but if you have any other questions or queries then drop us an email at acthappyltd@gmail.com or send us a DM on Instagram.