Nothing brings people together to support a good cause quite like music, and that was the thinking behind a recent charity concert at the Wedgewood Rooms in Southsea. Three bands of musicians from HSDC South Downs performed at the 400-capacity venue to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.
The BHF is a charity that funds cardiovascular research across the UK, with the overall goal of raising awareness and influencing policies surrounding heart conditions. As the biggest independent funder of heart research in the country, the BHF makes a real impact on people’s lives, and HSDC is incredibly proud of these bands and their fundraising efforts.
Headlining at the gig were Shades of Scarlet, a band that performed a series of iconic tunes from the 70s, 80s and 90s. The band is composed of four students from South Downs:
● Darcy Tolley – Lead Vocals & Part-Time Bass
● Lily Richards – Lead Guitar & Backing Vocals
● Leah Turner – Bass & Vocals
● Rueben Wickham: Drums
The gig was performed as part of the final major project for their Music Performance course, but was also for a very personal cause for the band. Bassist Leah was diagnosed with a serious heart condition, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, at the age of 12, and says that the BHF has helped her since her diagnosis in so many ways.
Talking about how the charity has helped her with her condition, Leah said:
“The BHF has often given me resources to help me understand the issues that come with the condition; even things like CPR training in schools and workplaces have helped me to feel more comfortable knowing that the people around me would know how to help if something happened.”
When asked about the social stigma surrounding heart conditions, Leah said:
“I believe that a diagnosis should not define you or stop you from doing the things that bring you the most happiness in life. It was so empowering to get up on stage and play with my closest friends; hearing everyone sing along to the songs we played was a moment of pride I can’t begin to describe.”
The band were joined onstage by two South Downs lecturers, John D’Arcy (rhythm guitar) and Paul Loder (keyboard & backing vocals), and were supported by indie rock band Bad Discipline and acoustic cover band Serenity.
At the time of writing, the gig has raised £914, an amazing achievement that far exceeds the initial target of £250. Everybody at HSDC is incredibly proud of Shades of Scarlet and wishes them all the best for their future musical endeavours.
