On Saturday 25th May, Newcastle bands came together to raise funds for The Sick Children’s Trust and to provide a highly-acclaimed musical interlude to the bank holiday weekend.
The gig was held at The Central, Gateshead, and was organised by Newcastle graduate and local lad Jake Waldock, who headlined the gig with his band Crux. The event was to fundraise for The Sick Children’s Trust, who offer support to sick children and their families. This is a cause close to Waldock’s heart. His girlfriend Tia Pullin, a final year Languages student, unfortunately lost a young cousin to a brain clot in October 2018, and The Sick Children’s Trust offered indispensable help to ten-year-old Miley’s family following the sudden onset of her illness and her stay at the RVI. This led to Miley’s family and friends setting up the foundation Smile for Miley.
First to perform was Northumbria University graduate Rebecca Mclean, who stunned the audience with her beautiful rendition of Shallow from the A Star is Born soundtrack at what turned out to be her first ever gig performance. This was followed by a set from Goodsprings, a Newcastle-based ska punk and reggae band headed by English Language student Sam Blackburn. Their set featured a mixture of covers and originals, ending with a funky rendition of the theme song from the children’s cartoon Arthur which the audience enthusiastically sang along to. The final set was by Crux themselves, a four-piece alternative rock band, and similarly featured a mixture of originals and covers, including Back in Black (AC/DC), Parklife (Blur) and an incredibly upbeat cover of Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy which was arguably much better than the original. Crux additionally performed their new track Bigg Market, which commemorates the home of much of Newcastle’s nightlife. As a group of local lads, the band wanted to pay tribute to the bar- and takeaway-laden square which forms such an integral part of Newcastle’s identity.
The evening provided a much-needed musical interlude for many stressed-out students who saw the gig as the perfect opportunity to take a break from the library. From donations from the mixed audience of locals and students, the night raised £230 for charity.
This event is just one of a series organised by friends and family to commemorate Miley’s life and to raise funds for The Sick Children’s Trust so that they can continue to provide similar support for young children and their families in the future. This includes Tia and her family braving the Great North Run in September 2019. To find out more about the hard work of The Sick Children’s Trust and to donate, please visit the Smile for Miley website: https://smileformiley.com/ or the fundraising page for the run https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/pullin-family?fbclid=IwAR0TQEN8pYXxa3Sv4dHqQkAx4wRDplv6gvwiqhlitWjcLlyvqAsqn-8ujn4&utm_campaign=pfp-email&utm_content=Pullin-family&utm_medium=fundraisingpage&utm_source=Sharethis&utm_term=eEjja7N4Q
