GoodLuck to raise funds via their garden concert this Saturday - Q&A with Juliet Harding

For one night only this, Saturday, 25 April at 6pm, GoodLuck will host a fully-fledged concert production live streamed from their garden. Twenty percent of the ticket sale proceeds will go to supporting their feeding project with charity organisation, 'Where Rainbows Meet', which has been helping keep thousands of impoverished people a float in the hardest-hit communities of Cape Town during the COVID-19 pandemic. We swung a few questions to lead singer Juliet Harding to find out more.

BizcommunityWell done on raising R300,000 for feeding schemes already! Can you explain the various initiatives that helped raise this money? 

The idea for the call to help began when we were invited to be a part of a feeding scheme for a day with charity organisation, Where Rainbows Meet, in the hard-hit suburb Vrygrond (Lavender Hill), which is part of the notorious Cape Flats area. On the day, we only had three large pots of food and it was gone before we had finished serving the long line of children waiting for a meal. Not a single adult was fed before we finished the three pots!

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This is all you guys. In less than a week we have managed to raise close to R300k to feed those in need during the fallout from COVID-19. I put a call out on our platforms and you guys reacted instantly - we have the best fans in the world!! ❤️ Thank you to each and every one of you! Because of you we are feeding over 1000 people daily. If you would still like to help you can either donate to our campaign or you can book a ticket to our live streaming concert on Saturday. We will be bringing you the best vibes for sunset from our garden! Link is in our bio. Thank you again to everyone who has helped... My faith in humanity is really at an all time high! ���� . . . #goodlucklive #thankyou #charity #lockdown #coronavirus #covid19 #goodluck #livestream #music #forgood #foryou #fyp

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This really hit home with me, I could see the desperation in the people and realising there was no food left and this broke me! A lot of the adults are day rate workers and under lockdown can not earn an income and feed themselves for the then three weeks ahead. I immediately reached out to our fans and community on our social platforms while in Vrygrond for a call to donate, cook, share the need for urgency for these communities. We created a BackABuddy campaign to raise funds and the uptake was incredible, within a week we raised enough for them to provide food for the whole community and have 16 different feeding stations! It's really been extraordinary to be part of this and see the fans and the public's support in this time of need for this desperate community!

How much are you hoping to raise with your upcoming concert this weekend?

Well the obvious answer is as much as possible! We haven't set a definite target but we'd like to raise at least R100 000. There is such a need right now and we are hoping that our fans come to the party - in more than one sense.

What can virtual attendees expect?

We are pulling out all the stops! We want to give our fans something that is both intimate and epic! We are going to play songs they maybe haven't heard in a while and some brand new songs they've never heard before. But also telling stories about the adventures we've had over the years - it's not often we get a chance to slow things down a bit and give everyone a chance to really understand what we meant when we wrote our songs.

GoodLuck to raise funds via their garden concert this Saturday - Q&A with Juliet Harding

What advice would you give to local musicians currently struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic?

Stay in touch with your audience. The world is consuming content right now at a huge rate...they've got nothing else to do! So make videos, share stories, connect with other artists and collaborate online... or use this time to find out more about yourself, this is a gift you probably won't get twice. It's downtime you would never have afforded yourself so use it wisely.

How do you think the pandemic is forever going to alter the landscape when it comes to the music industry?

Well by the time we are back to "normal" there will probably be a lot fewer players in the game, companies are going to go out of business. There are festivals, bands, production companies, and AV companies who are not going to survive this shutdown. These are people who have worked their bums off to create jobs, music, concerts, and events that we've all enjoyed and it's literally evaporated in front of their eyes. Those who can afford to weather this period will have to figure out the next chapter, we're going to have to change how we throw events, how we look after our customers and how we re-establish the culture of concerts and live events. We are going to be dealing with a public who are scared, financially challenged and need to be eased back into the culture of live entertainment.

BizcommunityAny trends you’ve seen emerge as a result of the crisis?

An unhealthy addiction to Netflix...

Actually we've seen humanity triumph. We've seen people who were self absorbed and "too busy" to care or help, turn over a new leaf and stand up and be a part of the solution. We've seen our community dig into already empty pockets to help others more in need, people pulling together to make a difference.

How do you hope musicians and humanity, in general, can come out of this pandemic better and stronger?

That we stop chasing money and success as if it is a life and death race. That we acknowledge that our planet is under extreme pressure because there are just so many of us. Whether we change our behaviour or not, the impact of us as a species on this planet will always hinge on how many of us there are. We need to be responsible. We need to be considerate. But most importantly, we need to be honest. And I think this time has been an incredible opportunity for humanity to self reflect, for all of us to look at the impact we have on our planet, our communities and our families.

And to do BETTER. be better. Live better. Think better.

Your top tips for staying sane during the lockdown?

Be creative, thoughtful and patient. Self-reflect and hang in there, music will get us through this even if in a small way :)

Tickets to Goodluck's Live Lockdown Concert cost R120 and can be purchased via: bit.ly/GDLKsunsets

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