Even more top musicians have signed up to perform at the exclusive two-day virtual festival called Music Feeds, which has been organised by ethical retailer Co-op and Everybody Belongs Here, the promoter working to do good in the entertainment industry.
Liam Gallagher, DMC, Beverley Knight, James and Amy Macdonald will join more than 40 international artists including Sam Smith, Blossoms, Newton Faulkner and Flogging Molly to raise vital funds to fight food poverty as well as help struggling music acts and entertainment industry workers.
Music Feeds will run over two nights on 28 and 29 January 2021, with all net profits being donated. Tickets are now on sale at DICE.fm.
News of the bumper line up follows the announcement that Co-op will donate a total of £1M to the Music Feeds event, which will go to FareShare to fight food poverty – helping to provide around 2.5 million meals – and will also help two music industry causes Help Musicians and Stagehand, who care for musicians and live production workers during times of crisis. In addition, all net profits from ticket sales will be split among the three charities.
Co-op has campaigned hard to raise awareness of food poverty and was one of the first signatories to Marcus Rashford’s new Food Insecurity Taskforce. Co-op and Marcus first joined forces to help tackle the issue back in summer 2020 when the footballer starred in the retailer’s television advert helping to raise funds for the food charity FareShare.
Jo Whitfield, CEO, Co-op Food, said: “Hunger knows no borders, and neither should our response. All year round, Co-op works to tackle food hunger and we’re thrilled to be uniting with outstanding musicians from across the world to turn up the volume on the issue. The pandemic has brought a sharper focus on issues such as food poverty and many in the music industry have seen their livelihoods disappear overnight because of lockdown restrictions. It’s right that we should lend our support and co-operate with musicians to raise awareness and raise funds for such vital causes.”
100 years ago, Co-op built dance halls for the masses, and even provided The Beatles, with a venue in 1962, and now the ethical retailer has become a significant presence within the UK’s music scene. It has had pop-up shops at festivals such as Glastonbury and Live Nation’s, Download, Reading and Leeds Festivals, and Creamfields. Co-op’s support for Music Feeds comes hot off the heels of an announcement that the retailer will join forces with Oak View Group (OVG) to develop the UK’s biggest and most exciting new arena in Manchester – Co-op Live.
Whitfield added: “Co-op is a growing part of the music scene and music lovers can enjoy great acts at Music Feeds in the knowledge they are acting towards creating lasting change on big issues, including fairer access to food.”
Music industry veteran, and James band member, Saul Davies, is the creative powerhouse behind Music Feeds. He said: “At Music Feeds you’ll get never-seen performances from leading artists, uncover new bands, and get up-close and personal with interviews. The festival will be broadcast to your Smart TV and devices over two nights, and festival goers can even join the sofa mosh-pit via the simultaneous Twitter listening party. Additional artists who have been unable to perform have donated unique items for the companions Music Feed charity auction.”
Davies added: “With a single £15 ticket giving access to both nights, the festival is priced to allow as many people as possible to support the causes. There is also the option for festival goers to donate more. We are grateful to our ticketing partner DICE, who have significantly reduced their charges to only recover their costs. So, if you want to take positive action to end hunger, buy a ticket for yourself, buy one for a friend or donate one to charity, but please help by buying a ticket at MusicFeeds.org.”
Music Feeds will be presented by Sarah Gosling. Sarah is a BBC music radio presenter on BBC Introducing, Upload and Spotlight, and regularly appears on Radio 1, Radio 4, and Radio 6 Music. She has actively championed and promoted a number of the bands appearing on Music Feeds and is a patron of the Music Venue Trust. She writes culture pieces for The Guardian and hosts live events including stages at Glastonbury.
Music Feeds takes place during the evenings of 28th and 29th January 2021, with a single £15 ticket giving access to both nights.
It is presented by Co-op, and Everybody Belongs Here. More information at MusicFeeds.org and tickets are available now at DICE.fm.