Brighton’s music community is to join forces tomorrow (Saturday 27 January) at a historic city centre venue to raise money for a local mental health charity.
The event is aimed at not only raising money for As You Are (AYA) but also awareness of the work that they do for the people of Sussex throughout the year.
The line up includes alternative rockers The Xcerts, and Archive, fresh from playing before 8,000 fans at the Paris Bercy as part of a sell-out European tour.
The other headline act is Steve Mason, formerly of the Beta Band, with a bill that also includes the singer Fable, and local bands and DJs, featuring Steve Mac.
The event is due to take place at an old venue with a new name – Alphabet, most recently known as the Rialto. The building is an 1867 grade II listed former school at 11 Dyke Road, opposite Wykeham Terrace.
The evening promises to be a treat for music fans and will bring a fresh focus on the valuable work that AYA do – as well as the struggles that many people have with their mental health throughout the year which can be even more keenly felt in the post-Christmas mid-winter January blues.
AYA was set up in 2007 and afforded charitable status in 2012 to provide affordable counselling and group work for people suffering from depression, stress and anxiety from their base in Southwick.
The organisation believes that counselling and psychotherapy should be accessible to all who need it and they are committed to providing low-cost counselling support for individuals and groups across the whole of Sussex.
They are not publicly funded so raising funds is vital to support their work – and the event at Alphabet is seen as an opportunity for people to have fun at the end of the first month of the year and raise the profile of this vital organisation.
The event is the brainchild of AYA counsellor Jen Gilbert and Danny Griffiths, founder member and songwriter for Archive. They want to raise awareness. They want raise some money. And they want to have some fun.
Jen Gilbert said: “AYA is an inclusive low-cost counselling charity that offers one-to-one counselling to people across East and West Sussex and Brighton and Hove.
“We offer 24 sessions of counselling with fees starting as low as £8 per session. We are committed to making counselling accessible to all who wish to access it regardless of their financial situation.
“We are able to offer our services to people that need it thanks to our fabulous team of trustees, supervisors, volunteer counsellors and to the generous donations and grants that we receive from local people, businesses and trusts.
“Events like this are about raising awareness of the ongoing need to support people who are struggling with their mental health every day.
“January is a time that many people find difficult but for us it is a year-round commitment to helping people who need positive mental health support, empathy and understanding.
“A night celebrating the great musical talent we have in this city and across the county can help people come together and show that people who are struggling are not alone.”
Danny Griffiths founded Archive with songwriting partner Darius Keeler and this is their 30th year as a band during which they have produced 12 albums.
He said: “Every band, every artist, every DJ involved is committed to helping bring awareness to the work that AYA does.
“Many of the people playing on the night will have experienced their own battles with their personal mental health and, in a world where everything seems to be getting harder, a night like this can bring into focus organisations like AYA that are dedicated to making life a little easier for people to cope with.”
Local bands Dry Run and Belmondo as well as DJ Serge Santiago complete the bill. Archive will also be playing a DJ set.
Tickets for the event cost £25 and can be bought in advance here.
To seek support or find out more about AYA, click here.
