Theatre Twm o’r Nant saw a full house for the second in a series of concerts entitled “Music makes a difference”, to raise funds to support refugees detained in camps on thr Greek island of Leros.
Video compilation, thanks to George Frost
George very kindly put together a video of the event, with one song from each act.
Grab a coffee or a beer, and settle down to enjoy this little taste of the show.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/rzIbzBamDp4
Having attended the first concert, held at the Tin Shed, Treuddyn, I was rather moved by some of the stories shared by volunteers who had been out to Greece to help people. One such story, about young mums having to walk miles every day for supplies and carrying babies, with toddlers in tow, whilst struggling with carrier bags inspired the group to want to raise funds to buy a fleet of pushchairs/buggies.
Knowing that I would be participating in the next event two weeks later, the story also inspired me to write a song for the event. More on that later…
The Tin Shed show featured John Williams with his wonderful cello mandolin, our good friend Penni Neale, master finger picker Skeet Williams, with the Tom, Dick & Harry Band to rock the night away until closing time.
It was a wonderful evening of entertainment, and one which had sown a seed in my mind that would take root over the course of the next couple of days.
The idea of writing a song specifically for the event lodged itself in my head as something that would be quite a neat thing to do, if I could do it well. For me, the starting point was purely an exercise in empathy and trying to think about what it must feel like to be those young mums, having to walk miles every day for supplies with kids in tow, having lost everything in the world and yet determined by a fundamental instinct for survival and hopes for a better future. I also wanted to reflect the importance of the need for aid and support, underlining the principle that we are all just homo sapiens on this spinning ball of rock. It’s sheer fluke that it is them and not us. We are in a position to provide the helping hand, as opposed to needing help ourselves. If the situation were reversed, what would you hope for?
Only Human
Day after day like a slave, tied to the road
My body’s all broken, I’m tired from the weight of the load
My spirit’s been shattered but I’ve got mouths to feed
I’m only human, and if you drop me I will bleed
Night after night candlelight shows your secret tears
The kids lost half their childhood, so many lost years
My people are scattered like seed, and it breaks my heart
I’m only human, and I’m scared I might fall apart
Though our land is far behind us
All we had is burned up and gone
When we’re alone with nobody else home
I start to feel like I can belong
Year after year it’s so clear that I need to pray
For the kindness of strangers who choose not to look the other way
We’re blinded by love and by hope, ’cause we have to be
You’re only human, and you are just like me.
© Alan Thompson, 2019
I’d had the idea to put some images together to create a slideshow that would complement the lyrics, with the aim of projecting this during the live show. One of the charity volunteers had kindly sent me some images and literally, the morning of the show, I put this slideshow together.
Here’s an early demo of the song, against the slides.
The evening was a great success, and thankfully George Frost and Katherine Waters were in attendance with their video camera and photographic kit. Their photos are kindly reproduced below.
Photos from Music Makes A Difference, Theatre Twm O’r Nant, March 2019.
So, what difference did it make?
Lots, actually!
Within just a few days of the Theatr Twm o’r Nant show, some photos came through showing some of the recipients of the initial batch of buggies purchased with the funding from the earlier Tin Shed concert.
It’s been refreshing to see that direct action can occur so quickly.
To conclude: music really does make a difference!
Want to support the cause?
If you’d like to donate directly towards the fund, here are the bank details:
Charity and Recycling Enterprise
RENEW
Sort Code: 30-99-14
Account number: 41788268
Reference:- Buggies
Were you at the show?
Let us know what you thought of it in the comments below.
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