The fundraiser gig on Friday was ama-zing! Such a great vibe, thanks to everyone who came down to support. All the acts were riveting, they had us under a spell. And the venue; I’m gonna say it, the venue is perfect. It’s the right size, it’s reasonably central, close to the tube, it’s walking distance to my house, they have in-house (albeit basic) sound system… I’m totally booking that place again. I like the idea of running regular nights at the same venue, and building a reputation of quality music and good vibes. This could be the start of something great! The next one will be the 9th of August, put it in your diary now and I’ll announce the lineup shortly.
Financially speaking these events have been successful, but haven’t come close to my initial enthusiastic goal of £1000 per event. So far we’ve averaged about £300 per event, which isn’t half bad when you compare it to £40-80 I might get for playing regular gigs for other promoters, but means I’ve had to re-think my fundraising strategy a bit. I’ll definitely continue running them, but now it’s crunch time.
I have about a week to raise £4000.
This kinda scares me a bit. And not necessarily in the “Ooh, this is an exciting challenge!” kinda way. It’s more the “Oh my goodness I’m going to die if I have to spend my savings on a flight home” kind of scaredness.
The way visas work is I need to have sufficient funds in the bank to pay for my uni fees in full (plus £1600 for living costs) for a period of one month, shortly before I make my application in mid-August. At that point my uni fees will be due, but wouldn’t need the £1600 in the bank. So the one month period of being rich starts in a few days time. And I’m feeling far from rich!
I really appreciate those who have come to my gigs, and even donated from abroad, and I do hope to completely fund my studies independently by working and running music nights over the length of my studies, but now unfortunately it’s a cashflow thing. I’m looking for people who have savings they can spare for one month (or maybe longer). If you think you can help please give me a call or email. If you want to just make a contribution towards the project, feel free to hand-deliver a large sum of cash in an unmarked briefcase, or use paypal / CC at www.heystephen.com/save-the-stephen. Appreciate your help on this one.
One last thing - I understand some people haven’t been able to get to a gig due to living in a different country as me. It’s quite a poor excuse to be honest, but to make things slightly simpler I’ve decided to try out a live webcast gig, performed and broadcast online from my living room. Again, I’ll post here with more details once I’ve got ‘em.
Thanks guys, I love you all
