Southsea man to put on charity gig featuring anthems from each decade to support Alzheimer's Society and Tonic Music for Mental Health
A NIGHT of anthems to get people dancing will see local bands joining forces to raise money for two charities close to the organiser’s heart.
Music mad John Seymour from Southsea has pulled together a host of great acts to play a selection of hits from across the years in a bid to support Alzheimer’s Society and Portsmouth-based charity Tonic Music for Mental Health.
John, who had to cancel last year’s Woodhill Woodstock festival which he organises, is looking forward to getting people dancing and enjoying live music, while raising money for two worthy causes.
His dad sadly died in April 2020 after living with Alzheimer’s, which has inspired half of the donation, and as music is a big part of musician John’s life, he is also raising money for Tonic.
John said: ‘Seeing the work that the care workers did [for my dad], it probably wasn’t so bad for my dad as it was for the family.
‘Mental health has affected so many people over the last year and I recognise how music can be so important to help counter people's mood.
‘The last festival I had organised for last year, the charity we were going to support was Tonic. Music is very important for mental health and I think it’s a great little charity.’
The Five Decades of Anthems gig will feature acts including Brit Pop Revolution, Sidetracked, Amba Tremain’s Rokket, Gary O'Connor Band, Hitched, Black Dog and more.
Each artist will play five songs, including one anthem from each decade since the 1960s onwards, at the gig on July 16 at the Dockyard Club in Southsea’s Onslow Road.
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Half the tickets have already been sold, and the artists, venue and sound crew are all giving their time and expertise for free to help the charity event run smoothly for an audience of roughly 160 people.
John said: ‘It’s all coming together really, it should be a really good night. I want to see everybody having the confidence to get back to normal.
‘People are still really cautious, I just want to get people dancing. I love music and seeing people properly enjoy themselves.’
Tickets, costing £12, are selling fast but are still available from wegottickets.com/event/514956 or via the bands or venue, all proceeds will be split between the charities.