Save OUR NHS, say 1000 Musicians!
"This is purely for the NHS and not party political."
Lois Wilson, founder of NHS 1000 Musicians campaign and People Powered events
We should take neither the creative and performing talent of The British Isles, or the most treasured social jewel on the planet, OUR NHS, for granted.
The Arts and Entertainment of this pin-prick-on-the-world-map are globally famous and feed our economy, social collusion, educational imaginations and aspirations.
What is the point of any kind of wealth without a quality of health?
No wonder a growing family of musicians, at all levels, from Trampolene, Paul Weller and Leftfield, to The Charlatans, The Horrors and Dame Cleo Laine are part of the People Powered NHS 1,000 Musicians Campaign.
Non-credited images in this article are courtesy of NHS1000Musicians
The inspiring, inspired; Above; Kate Tempest, The Blinders (image by Nasty Man Creations,) Jazzy B, Jordan Cook of Telegram and Debbie Smith). The majority of us, and our favourite musicians come into, and leave this world, under the care of our NHS. It is OUR NHS and it is vital that we fight for it.
We've been divided for too long already, this is a good starting point for future unity.
Surely?
Kudos to forward thinking peace lover and campaign head, Lois Wilson, who is aiming to get 1,000 musicians to support #OurNHS in conjunction with a series of #PeoplePowered fundraisers for Health Campaigns.
The first show was this summer (Liverpool O2 Academy on June 10th.
As 2017 ends, this extended family of 1,000 names from the world of music is almost complete.
Who isn't in that list, yet?
Image: Denise Johnson, whose internationally reknown soulful vocals were featured on records by Primal Scream, and such a who’s who of Madchester bands, that her singing became an essential element of the genre’s sound.
The argument can be made that this is just politics. Life is politics. Make no mistake, once health care is stolen from the people, and privatised by the anti-people, death rates will rocket when we can't even afford to die.
But not this particular campaign.
This is not about politics.
This is purely about #ourNHS which is there for EVERYBODY of every background and belief.
Founder, Lois explains it best;
"To promote the wider issues around the NHS, I've set up a Twitter account (@NHS1000Maestros), with the aim to get 1000 musicians under the banner NHS1000Musicians to take a quick snap of themselves holding up a sign with a message of support." "This is purely for the NHS and not party political."
Image; One of our cover star rock bands, deux furieuses.
We love our NHS. Unashamedly.
A few months after TheZineUK's Spring 2014 debut upload, we found ourselves with an official stage at the Camden Crawl Festival's Finale on mid-Summer's day.
First stop of the day, though, HAD to be outside BBC Broadcasting House a mile or so down the road at the Anti Austerity march.
Captured 40 seconds or so of people singing "We Are Fighting For The NHS"
It's a rebellion that remains a thread through this tale.
People, you can be so inspiring. Keep fighting.
Image: The Selecter. Part of the Two Tone movement that has contributed towards Coventry being Britain's next city of Culture.
If you are lucky, you would only need medical care to be born or to die, but the reality is that every care for any aspect of our body machine and mind's well being are courtesy of the National Health Service. Everybody gets ill in some way, every year of their life.
Our saviours are compelled by a calling to look after humanity. Fact.
It's not as if they are attracted by the huge salaries or the easy hours.
It costs so much money to learn these verging-on-angelic, brain magic life saving skills (yet nothing to learn to kill people).
Warped priorities aside, we owe them the lives of our friends and families.
Image; Friend and family, our Uniqulture road show DJ, Disco MarkY at our November 2017 music social. Image by Caffy.
In reality, if we had to pay for this much care, we would suffer in pain and misery.
It costs thousands, and sometimes tens of thousands for care.
We pay national insurance for our NHS, but imagine if it was privatised and you couldn't afford treatment?
Short sightedness could forget that it is the low paid workers of society that actually keep it running.
Our public services retain sanity's Safety First ethic.
Apathy could shrug and say that running down, then selling off the NHS won't occur.
It has happened and continues to do so.
If we working class drones are too ill to function, the serviced, class system collapses.
One person who should be getting behind this scheme is Richard Branson, Virgin Records boss and multi millionaire entrepreneur.
His Virgin Care/Virgin Don't Care are suing the NHS two million potential life saving pounds for them not getting to grasp a contract that should never have been for sale in the first place.
Let's hope for a change of heart where he gives the money back - as he can afford it and we can't.
Image: Jo Bevan of newer wave post-punx, Desperate Journalist.
We will keep fighting for our NHS.
Founded by Aneurin 'Nye' Bevan on 5 July 1948, The National Health Service is the publicly funded national healthcare system for England.
It is one of the four National Health Services of the United Kingdom.
Created by the Labour Party, it is the largest and the oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world.
NHS is for the entire nation's well being.
Make it a Happy 70th in 2018 and treasure this.
We, the people, are being manipulated into division for easy conquest.
Whatever our backgrounds (unless we are very rich), we and our families need, thank and appreciate our NHS.
Everybody has a different take on the situation of whatever generation.
From the original stars of the rock n roll years...
Image: The Modfather, Paul Weller.
...to the next generations; for instance...
Tom Mouse Smith
In February, 12 year old Tom politely declined Simon Cowell's offers of TV stardom.
Recently, Tom rounded off a fantastic year by supporting The Charlatans (another band supporting this campaign) on their November UK tour.
If there is such a thing as a youthquake in realisation, then Tom is in the vanguard. For a number of reasons.
Having played at Kendal Calling this summer, he told The Independent newspaper
"It's so exciting to be on the same line up as Brian Wilson, Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers and Editors. I'm very lucky to be able watch them all close up. If it wasn't for festivals I wouldn't be able to see much live music at my age."
And especially lucky to be well enough to be there in the first place; "I was born with only half a working heart and spent the first five years of my life in and out of hospital. I needed them then and I'll need them in the future ❤️"
go Tom!
In fact, with a revolution of people powered kindness and fun, rising, on the guitar people powered underground, now is the perfect time for this campaign.
British Rock n Roll's renaissance wouldn't be the same without the bluesy goodness of (above) Sabatta and (below, courtesy of Zy Records) Bang Bang Romeo, repped by Yinka Oyewole and Ross Cameron.
Our writer, and ace promoter - Monefa Walker - has an array of talents, including being an accomplished pianist.
As she points out;
"I've lost count the amount of times I have needed the NHS whether it was for my physical or mental health, so I'm behind this."
Image was taken by Caffy St Luce in November.
Below, The Velvet Hands (one of whom actually required NHS care earlier, on this, the day of their show) and DJ Katie O were at the same gig.
They are also on board.
Because the extending family of the rock'n'roll underground is not a myth, both "Ones To Watch 2018" names were re-united, a few weeks later, on the bill for The Music People Party.
That is what NHS1000Musicians has done, created a United KIN-dom.
What could be more wholesome for a (still mostly) green and pleasant land of (still mostly) good people.
So, speaking of Wholl-some (!), I'll leave the final word to one of 2017's most beloved up and comer bands...
The Wholls.
The Wholls say: "On behalf of all of us, we wanna say that The Wholls are fully behind supporting #ourNHS. We've all had family that have relied on the help and expertise of our doctors and nurses. It's easy to take for granted what a vital and delicate system we have in place and it's essential to every person in the country that we do whatever we can to maintain and grow our national health service."
So glad that You The Living (left) were able to play our first Expo.
Another back story in which the NHS plays a part.
There are many.
Think about that next time at a gig or festival.
So many of us are there, right then, because of our NHS.
Thanks for reading.
Here's to your good health.
Image below; The Blinders (Born In The NHS) by Sam Crowston/Nasty Man Creations
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