# [Sat 28th Feb 2015] Musikstan presents- No One is Illegal! A fundraiser for ASIRT. (Birmingham)



## Blagsta (Feb 28, 2015)

As the General Election approaches, anti-immigrant sentiment becomes ever more hysterical, with immigrants blamed for everything from NHS waiting lists to bad motorway traffic.

In the middle of all this noise, real people with real lives suffer. Cuts to legal aid have made it ever more difficult for people who have committed no greater 'crime' than seeking a better life for their children and themselves to claim their basic legal rights, leading them all too frequently to live with the consequences of literal destitution.

ASIRT is a cash-strapped charity which provides much-needed legal support to people in these dire circumstances. A collective of artists and activists have come together under Muzikstan's generous umbrella to organise an event, seeking to raise money to help ensure that this vital work can continue. Please join us if you can.

Music from...

*David Campbell is a member of Birmingham's most celebrated singing family, and the only one still active on the folk scene. His grandparents, Dave & Betty Campbell, were popular representatives of the peculiarly rich song tradition of north-east Scotland. His late father, Ian, was recognised in last year's Radio 2 Folk Awards for his lifetime contribution to the promotion of traditional music.
David performs a dazzlingly eclectic array of more-or-less elderly songs, some with five-string banjo or ukulele, though he's best known for his supreme mastery of the unaccompanied singing tradition in which he was raised. 


*Muzikstan veteran and friend of Celebrating Sanctuary Hassan Salih Nour was born in Gabet in Eastern Sudan, to parents from the North of the country. His upbringing included the local language and customs of both regions. At age three Salih was exposed to the tambour, the traditional instrument of northern Sudan, and began to play and sing local songs. As he grew up, he learned to play oud, bass and mandolin, playing traditional music. After becoming a fixture on the music scene of Port Sudan, Salih moved to Khartoum, where he studied in Khartoum Music Academy.
For 12 years Salih lived and played in Holland, where he took first place in the Groote Brijs Van Nederland singer/songwriter competition, and participated in the Mondial, Rasism Beed, and Melk Weg festivals. From Holland he moved to Cairo and is now settled in Birmingham. Salih performs both solo and in a number of collaborations, including Yorkshire-based Rafiki Jazz. He is keen to collaborate with other musicians and enjoys playing a wide range of styles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4xYl7pfWII

*Balsall Heathens are an acoustic duo from Birmingham, uk.jock on guitar has played in GBH for over 30 years and Sam on vocals and fiddle currently plays in Contempt, Alcohol Licks and Screamin' Abdabz. They describe themselves as gipsy pirate punk- arrrr! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_PCl-LK3vs&feature=youtu.be

*Culture Dub Orchestra are a 6 piece World Roots Dub band based in the Midlands, with roots originating in Jamaica, India and Greece. With dub firmly at the core; CDO explores a range of cultures, religions, backgrounds and musical styles. A heavy roots drum and bass section (crucial to the true dub sound) is coloured by violin and bouzouki- adding eastern flavours. Guitar and keys deliver the essential reggae off-beat with a large palette of delays, while an array of live percussion from tabla to djembe bring it all together to take your mind on a spiritual nomadic journey.
Members are all interconnected through previous musical projects which range through reggae, funk, soul, hip hop, ska, rock, salsa, and Eastern folk- all contributing to the unique fusion of sounds. http://www.cultureduborchestra.com/music.html

7shades is a musical project intended to be a tribute to Tim Smith and the music of Cardiacs, but playing all new and original music. Formed in 2013 as the result of a dramatic failed physics experiment, 7shades emerged from the lab with the right number of limbs, but in all the wrong places. Several months of physical and mental rehabilitation followed, and finally in 2015 some kind of atomic cohesion occurred enabling manifestation in real-world scenarios.
Be afraid, be very afraid!
The debut album ‘Seven shades (of shit)’, which is a fundraiser for Tim, is OUT NOW in a variety of formats. https://www.facebook.com/7shadesbandhttp://7shades.me.uk/

*Birmingham band Malarkey create the ultimate party atmosphere. Anyone going to see a Malarkey show should expect lots of dancing, reggae breakdowns and most importantly, good fun! Malarkey’s vocalist, Juggernaut, is a pure joy to watch. A large man of Jamaican descent with deep, Ragga inflected vocals (think somewhere between Buju Banton and Ragga Twins) and a ridiculous amount of stage presence. Guitarist, Kyle, contributes lead vocals on some of the songs, his guitar playing showing the influence of 90’s Grunge bands, fitting in dirty, sloppy riffs alongside the ‘cha cha cha cha’ guitar that so many Ska influenced bands get stuck with. http://malarkeyband.wix.com/malarkey#!music/ckiy


With DJ support from:

*Uncle Zitty (Balkanic Eruption)
*Revolution Disco! DJs

Lebanese food from Master Chef Yusef!

Photography exhibition from Some Cities/Craftivism/Stalls/Silent Auction

8 till late
£5 concessions/ £7 waged/
Free for undocumented migrants/asylum seekers



https://www.facebook.com/events/1563482827221520


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