Meet Gig Buddies

Songkick
Songkick
Published in
3 min readMar 27, 2018

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Gig Buddies at Glastonbury 2013

As the home of live music, here at Songkick we strive to bring all fans, from across the globe and from all walks of life, closer to their favourite artists. We’re all about making it as simple, fun and as fair as possible for fans to enjoy live music. That’s why, when we heard about Gig Buddies, a charity helping people with learning disabilities and volunteers to come together over music and shared passions, we thought this was an amazing scheme and wanted to shout about it! So read on, learn more about Gig Buddies, and find out how you can use your love of gig going to help somebody in your local community.

The chatter dies, filler music ceases and movement in the crowd slows. Feelings of anticipation and excitement fill the room as the lights come up and your favourite band walks out onto the stage. But the clock hits 9 just as the live music beings, and it’s time to go home.

With 71% of people with learning disabilities unable to get out in the evenings and social restrictions due to support staff working inflexible shifts, this is often the reality for music and gig lovers with learning disabilities. Transport, confidence, and budget cuts all also present barriers.

The same restrictions were frustrating punk rock band Heavy Load, three of whom had learning difficulties themselves, as they saw fans wanting to enjoy live music having no choice but to leave gigs early. So their bass player, Paul Richards, decided to do something about an issue close to his heart and founded Gig Buddies in 2013.

By bringing together gig goers who are already spending their evenings enjoying music and music lovers who are being denied this opportunity, Gig Buddies promotes an easy way to volunteer. It’s a flexible commitment for participants, rooted in having a great time, and local support from promoters and venues often means free guest list spots for participants. Gig Buddies is ‘serious’ fun helping to combat social isolation as well as loneliness, which is as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day (Campaign to End Loneliness).

There are 1.4 million people with learning disabilities in the UK. Many of whom are being denied the right to go out and enjoy a social life, enjoy live music and as a result be valued as equal citizens. They are being refused the choice of what to spend their evenings doing and what time they have to be home. Not being able to have a social life and go out is proven to be harmful to physical and mental health. This puts people with learning disabilities at risk of social isolation, loneliness and depression.

Gig Buddies is a befriending project that’s part of the grassroots charity, Stay Up Late, that campaigns for ending inflexible support systems and supports people with learning disabilities in leading the lifestyle they choose.

The Gig Buddies befriending scheme works by matching up a person with a learning disability or autism with a volunteer who has a shared passion for music. As a gig buddy, you’ll find yourself going to gigs once a month as well as meeting up for coffees and catch ups to plan your next gig. The scheme aims to build on-going friendships and emphasizes freedom for its participants, helping with communication, confidence and leading a more active social life. The scheme also offers training and ongoing assistance for its volunteers.

Based in the Brighton and Sussex area of the UK, the scheme has spread globally with partners across the world, in Croydon, Portsmouth, Calderdale, Long Eaton, Norwich, East and West Lothian, Sydney and Cardiff. Located in one of the areas, love live music and want to get involved? Become a gig buddy today!

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