Review: Give a Sh*t Xmas
Where were you when Thursday’s exit poll was announced? I was in a mosh pit. It was a good place to be at that point in time, believe me, but I am old and it started to hurt, so I made my way to the side to check the news on my phone. I should have stayed in that mosh pit, but that’s another story.
No, actually, scrap that, it’s not another story, politics was a massive part of last night’s story. Give a S*** Xmas homeless benefit was conceived by Bristol music legend Geoff Barrow of Portishead and Beak> alongside Friendly Records and local music luminary Fat Paul in 2018 to raise money for local homelessness charities. It has massively grown in size this year, moving from The Fleece to the monolith that is Motion, and still tickets sold out in a matter of hours.
Fans of 'Idles', Motion, Bristol, England, 2019
© Martin Parr / Magnum Photos
Idles, Bootleg Blondie and Billy Nomates all featured on the line-up of homecoming heroes alongside a stack of DJs and of course Beak> themselves. With all that musical talent, and Martin Roberts from Homes Under the Hammer compering, it was always going to be the best Christmas party in Bristol. Combine that with the fact it was on election night and you know it was always going to be a riot.
It was a cold, miserable night at Motion, and the relatively unknown (but not for long) Billy Nomates warmed up the early arrivals with her brand of experimental alt-pop, cool-as-fuck mullet and karate-chop inspired moves.
Beak> followed hot on her heels. This three piece, with their Bristol brand of Can-inspired electronic prog-rock, have slowly gained momentum on a national stage over the last few years. They may be serious about socialism but watching them is always fun. “I bet you’re all fucking Londoners, aren’t you?” they tease the crowd, and of course there’s some heavy Tory piss-taking.
By the end of their set the atmosphere was as festive as you could get. A raffle kept the spirit going with the spectacular grand prize of Joe from Idles actual car complete with half a tank of petrol and a MOT running out the next day.
As this was going on the vibe began to change. Chants of “Oh Jeremy Corbyn” reminded us of what was going on in polling stations around the country. Idles are undeniably a political band, and their fans are too. But what sets them apart from punk predecessors is that as well as being angry, they really care. Idles make no short shrift of attacking the political right and championing socialism, but with songs tackling the death of parents, the dismantling of the NHS and masculine fragility, they transcend to become more than just punk, but a social movement you can go mental to.
Their presence on stage was electric. Idles gave everyone disaffected by 9 years of Tory rule in that room an outlet for their hope and rage on the night of one of the most important elections for a generation.
Never have the lyrics of Mother felt more poignant as we all yelled them back at the stage, never has a dedication of their hit “I’m scum” to Jeremy Corbyn felt more appropriate.
That was the point I burst the bubble and checked the news on my phone. I escaped to the ladies’ to hang my head, scroll through Twitter and gather my thoughts before returning to the throng. As I do Joe is delivering an impassioned speech of hope for the future of British politics and how great it is tonight to enjoy a “moment and place of limbo, together”. I hoped news of the exit poll would stay far away for a little longer to keep the magic going.
But this review cannot end on that note. It needs to end reflecting what the night was really about: In the face of everything, giving a s*** about those less fortunate than us. Over £80,000 was raised, and it gives me hope that there are a lot of people in our fair city who really, really care.
You can find out more about and donate to the charities Give a s*** Xmas support here
https://www.crisis-centre.org.uk/wild-goose
https://www.feedthehomeless.org.uk/
https://www.homeless.org.uk/homeless-england/service/somewhere-to-go-project-for-homeless-people
Written by Kerry Mead
Kerry is 43 and a long term resident of Bristol. Music obsessive, book obsessive, social butterfly, escaper of responsibilities, self diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, full time single parent and registered carer to her oldest child who has autism, she also squeezes in two part time jobs; one in ad sales and the other in communications for a local charity.When she isn't busy with that lot Kerry is a writer. She writes about parenting and neurodiversity, and all the other stuff too.
You can check out her blog here.
Images:
@martinparrstudio
@martinparrfdn