On Thursday 27 April we held a charity benefit concert at Metronome in aid of the Disasters Emergency Committee. Led by our Confetti Education team and Student Services, the show sold 300 tickets and was well attended by students, their families and friends, and members of the general public.
Thanks to generous donations from attendees, topped up by Confetti, the event raised an incredible £1500 for victims of disasters worldwide. It also created lots of valuable “Do It For Real” opportunities for our college students. Confetti Level 3 Technical Events students handled all event production, including live sound, lighting, set-up and stage management. Our Level 3 Games Art provided some fantastic artwork for display in the atrium, bar and auditorium. Confetti Level 3 Film and TV students also documented the evening in collaboration with local television channel, Notts TV on a report for their live evening news programme, Notts Today, check out the coverage below:
The evening’s entertainment was provided by Confetti music students. Here’s a flavour of the different acts, each one destined for big things:
- Ellie Stainsby – Year 2 Music Performance student, Ellie is an acoustic folk singer songwriter and pianist. Her ethereal sound is influenced by artists such as Damien Rice, Birdy, and Billie Marten. She recently released her debut single “Silence no sound” in March 2023.
- Ada Blue – Ava Bateman, artist name, Ada Blue, is a Year 2 Music Performance student. Ada Blue expertly fuses together genres of Latin, pop, acoustic and alternative to create a unique modern sound. Her influences range from the heavy sounds of Nirvana and Soundgarden to the likes of Amy Winehouse, Griff and many more.
- Smokey Penny – Smokey Penny is a newly formed rock band comprised of Year 1 Music Performance learners who are playing a number of shows internally and externally. Smokey Penny have a classic 70’s sound, fantastic song-writing. Truly up and coming.
- Slendz – Year 1 music performance learner, Slendz, is an up-and-coming rapper and one to watch! Hailing from Derby, Slendz has been performing and releasing music consistently racking up over 60,000 monthly listeners on his Spotify.
- Rawshack – Rawshack is an alternative rock band composed of Music Performance Year 1 students. They’re a fresh take on the genre with an innovative approach and a great stage presence. They’re a newly formed musical group and have been performing consistently across the local area.
- Charlotte Moon – Charlotte is a pop and folk singer/songwriter actively performing in the local area. She shared the same bill as the Overtones at last year’s Newark Festival and has played local venues like the Chapel and the Angel Microbrewery, collaborating with other emerging Nottingham acts like Airport Dad and the Clementines.
We were also thrilled to have BBC Radio Nottingham’s own Dean Jackson on compering duties. An advocate for providing emerging artists with a platform to showcase their music, Dean has helped launch the careers of local stars with his radio show and BBC Music Introducing, including Clifton’s Jake Bugg and global superstars like Ed Sheeran. Dean selflessly donated his time in support of a great cause and did an amazing job keeping the energy high throughout the evening. Asked why he wanted to get involved he said:
“What the charities are doing is great, they’re brave, they’re the boots on the ground in some of the most hostile places on earth, whether it be a natural disaster or war. What they are doing is vital and well worthy of our support.
“Another reason why I wanted to get involved was that I know Confetti always has high-quality acts. I’ve discovered 5 brand new acts tonight and I love the diversity in the line-up. And as we’d expect from Confetti, the standard is extremely high.”
Ahead of the gig, Dean invited performers Ellie Stainsby and Ada Blue onto his BBC Music Introducing show to find out more about them as artists. He also showcased Ada’s latest single with Kian Mosely, ‘Devils Door’ (definitely worth a listen!). You can listen back to this interview on the BBC Sounds website, beginning at 46:30.
Thank you to everyone involved in the Confetti Charity Gig and for putting on a great show. We appreciate all those that came along, showed their support and made donations. Visit our recent article for more information on the event and the great work Disasters Emergency Committee does in providing vital humanitarian relief worldwide. Our JustGiving fundraising campaign is still open if you’d like to make a donation.
