PRESS RELEASE
MAD PRIDE for the HOLOCAUST DAY
A FUNDRAISER FOR THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST WELFARE BENEFIT CUTS.
THE MONTAGUE ARMS
NEW CROSS SE14
FRIDAY 4TH FEBRUARY
8PM – MIDNIGHT
£5 / £2 concessions.
THE SWAMP WINOS / PSCHOYOGI / ONE TRUE DOG / BLOCO MALUCO / LE DONNE / DAVE RUSSELL
The crew of ‘nutters’ behind Creative Routes ‘MUSES CAFE’ events are once more teaming up with campaigning organisation MAD PRIDE to stage a special event to mark the international ‘HOLOCAUST DAY’ memorial.
In Germany in the 1930’s the Nazi’s put out propaganda ‘newsreels’ showing images of mentally ill and disabled people alongside slogans telling the taxpaying population that these ‘degenerate’ people were costing them money to keep alive as a justification for the ‘final solution’ of exterminating them in the concentration camps.
MAD PRIDE are asking the question ‘how far does this differ from the current government and media propaganda which aims to label all welfare benefit recipients as ‘scroungers’?’
Vulnerable people at the bottom of the social ladder are once again being made to be the scapegoat for the bankers and capitalists reckless mishandling of the economy.
We are concerned that vulnerable benefit claimants with mental health difficulties will be forced into inappropriate employment through the use of ‘capacity’ checks not applicable to or sensitive to their condition and it’s affects on them, which will have a negative impact on their mental health and any possibility of recovery. Already both MAD PRIDE and Creative Routes have been aware of levels of anxiety about this being raised by our members and people in our networks.
We are concerned that the consequences in the long term will be an increase in the number of suicides. We have already lost too many good friends this way to stand idly by and watch this happen to more vulnerable people. We would urge all fair minded and reasonable people who might share our concern to join us in protesting and resisting these cuts and raising concern about the potential consequences.
We have joined forces with other individuals and organisations concerned about the implications of these policies to form a ‘Mental Health Resistance Network’ to protest the cuts and raise public awareness and concern and support vulnerable people at risk.
Concerns about this have already been raised with the government by established charities and organisations yet the government seems determined to press ahead with these policies. It is almost as if they do not care about the potential suicides of people with mental health problems, after all they are just what the Nazi’s would refer to as ‘useless eaters’. It feels like they almost want this, a sort of ‘soft core’ Holocaust where you get the victim to do the work for you.
MAD PRIDE wants to build links with all other sections of the community being affected by the draconian cuts being implemented in benefits and essential services across the board to help ensure there is a unified front in fighting them and to ensure that people with mental health problems are not marginalised.
Many reasonably minded people in the ‘mainstream’ community are already aware of the concerns of those in the ‘mad’ community and are already showing support, we want to educate people and spread awareness of these concerns and gain further support for resisting these cuts and misguided policies.
The good people at Shopping Trolley Promotions and the SILO SE4 project have given us over one of the regular nights at the MONTAGUE ARMS in New Cross to stage this fundraising and awareness raising event.
All of the artist (a mixture of mental health ‘survivor’ artists and local and established professional and semi- professional acts) are donating their services for free. All proceeds from the door plus donations will be given to MAD PRIDE specifically for use on the campaign against the welfare benefit cuts.
We urge supportive people to come along and help support the cause – and in the process be treated to some top of the range unusual and eccentric entertainment (as usual from the Muses Cafe team).
Artist featured are-
THE SWAMP WINOS – We had originally invited long standing Creative Routes member Pete McDonald to bring along his ALEX ONE outfit who had impressed mightily at the recent Celebration of Creative Lunacy for World Mental Health Week, however we have just been told that due to the unavailability of key performers this act is not now available on the night. Instead we have invited one of Pete’s other musical combo’s to perform, in the shape of degenerate reprobates THE SWAMP WINOS- much has been said about the SWAMP WINOS-including ‘they sound like a load of drunks at a Glaswegian party’ and ‘clearly the least hard working band in the country’, but they sure are fun. Their ramshackle brand of skiffle punk, country and blues is tailor made for sleazy bars- catch them before the whole thing goes up in flames as it surely will.
PSYCHOYOGI – specially invited guests for the event. This locally based act have featured at many prestigious venues and festivals and released several CD’s over a number of years, with various musical line ups fronted by songwriter Chris Ramsing. They describe themselves as ‘Leftfield Antipodean Punk Jazz’ – ‘Imagine King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Tom Waits, Zappa, Captain Beefheart and the BBC Youth Jazz Orchestra all playing together’- with a line up that has included violin, trombone, trumpet and even a euphonium and musical influences that also include Bartok and Stravinsky. A quirky blend of jazz, funk, classical and pop- with extraordinary time changes and tonal exploration- an eclectic medley of musical styles and a rejection of the docile adherence to a single musical form, their songs also ‘present a social and political critique’. We are very pleased to have them grace our stage for this gig.
ONE TRUE DOG –the experimental outfit featuring the astonishing local wordsmith Zolan Quobble, ‘Shopping Trolley’ mainman Elwell on bass and the quiet quirky genius of Pete Karkut carving surreal soundscapes with his trusty laptop. A regular feature and a firm favourite at previous Muses Cafe and BONKERSFEST events these were another ‘must’ to feature and who were keen to support the cause.
BLOCO MALUCO- Creative Routes own ‘in house’ samba drum band, formed out of the regular workshops run by them and now well a well established act at festivals and community events, the Muses Cafe and BONKERSFEST plus various gigs at venues around London in their own right- another ‘natural’ choice for this event- samba the rhythm of resistance – an explosive outburst of manic energy – they will rock the house
LE DONNE- How do you describe this act ?– a virtual impossibility- theatre of the absurd – in the tradition of Edward Albi and Eugene Ianesco – they are in the audience-in your face- impossible to ignore. Two ardent females of uncertain age and time- with no fixed language or style and an unpredictable mission- they are formlessly unencumbered by their posts- alchemising their backgrounds in music, poetry and art to the strings of the mandolin, inscrutable, wise and never cosy they leave a little tremble in their wake - another act we ‘had’ to have – and they will fit so well within the eccentrically Dadaist decor of the venue
DAVE RUSSELL- Another artist we just had to invite, he has been described as the ‘king of Alt folk’ An acerbic cutting edge singer songwriter and angular experimental guitarist, an incredibly powerful artist, passionate, innovative and a totally unique combination of Stockhausen, CAN, Beefheart, Jackson Pollock and Van Gogh. The rule is to rip up the rule book, suddenly musical fantasy, menace and lacerating satire lunge up at you. A veteran of the poetry and acoustic music scene Dave was featured on the original MAD PRIDE ‘Nutters with Attitude’ CD, released back in the late 1990’s, Dave has featured on many MAD PRIDE, Muses Cafe events and the BONKERSFEST- his first appearance on the stage at the Montague Arms- a treat not to be missed. No less a figure than highly respected author Arthur Koestler is quoted as saying – ‘if you have never seen him live make sure you do so at the next opportunity or you will live to regret it’- do recommendations get any higher?
Also featured will be the fantastic visual projections and animations of Muses Cafe and Shopping Trolley regular VJ FLICKERING LIGHT
Spontaneous poet and well known local character JASON WHY the regular MC for the Muses Cafe will be introducing the acts for the night in his own inimitable style- and very likely also treating us to some of his ad hoc wordsmithing.
It is also likely that Jason will be inviting some of his poetic friends from the many acoustic music and poetry events he regularly performs at in and around London to regale us with some short sharp ‘open mic’ performance poetry.
We look forward to seeing all of our friends and supporters at this event to enable us to raise as much as possible for this vital cause.
The Montague Arms is in Queens Rd New X, it is nearby to Queens Rd Peckham and New Cross Gate BR stations, Buses 136,177,171 and 435 all stop nearby and it is within walking distance from New Cross bus garage.
Anybody in the local community with concerns about the implications of the government policies and welfare benefit reviews and ‘work focussed interviews’ for themselves or their relatives and friends are urged to contact MAD PRIDE and The Mental Health Reistance Network to get advice and support around protecting vulnerable people’s rights in this adversarial system.
For more information on this advice and support and the campaign against the cuts contact
The MENTAL HEALTH RESISTANCE NETWORK by email at
Mentalhealthresistance@lists.aktivix.org
MAD PRIDE on 07542 459321 or check out www.madpride.org
For more information on Creative Routes, the Muses Cafe and this event call 077 577 15035 or check out www.myspace.com/themusescafe
For information about the artist check out –
www.myspace.com/blocomaluco
www.myspace.com/onetruedog
www.myspace.com/psychoyogi
www.psychoyogi.com
www.mypace.com/ledonnedonnedonne
