Tim Burgess and Frank Turner to help make Tiny Changes at virtual music fest

Youth mental health charity and Big Issue Changemaker Tiny Changes is pulling together scores of well-loved musicians to perform from their living rooms and raise money through a live-streamed music festival.

Tiny Gigs will broadcast live on June 20 and 21 to highlight the efforts of children’s charities supporting people in need across Scotland during the crisis, with some already boosted by the organisation’s emergency Covid-19 fund.

Charlatans frontman and listening party host Tim Burgess, singer-songwriter Frank Turner and The Coral founder Bill Ryder-Jones will perform to support the charity set up in memory of Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison following his death in 2018.

Music has the ability to connect people and build community. With this in mind, we came up with Tiny Gigs, a Tiny Changes fundraiser. On 20+21 June, these great artists will livestream via our Facebook page. You can pay what you can if you can at https://t.co/7l3YGOvtkE pic.twitter.com/9IVykLq3SY

— Tiny Changes (@tinychanges) May 29, 2020

Tiny Changes works to improve the mental health of children and young people in Scotland.

Founding trustee Grant Hutchison, who previously wrote in The Big Issue about his brother’s impact and how he drove the family forward on their mission to boost the mental wellbeing of youngsters, said he hoped the festival would bring people together at a time when “so many of us might be feeling disconnected and isolated from the world”.

“Let’s all get together in a virtual field and enjoy some togetherness with a bunch of amazing musicians,” he said.

“Instead of feeling like we’re missing out on seeing friends, going to gigs and singing along together let’s make the most of being able to sit and watch a music festival from our own couch in our pants!

“What started as a wee idea after seeing a bunch of artists perform for folk online has been turned in to a reality by a few wonderful folk at Tiny Changes. Join in, sing along and then at the end of the night you don’t need to fumble around in the dark looking for your tent. You can go to your own bed! Result!”

Tiny Gigs will go live on Facebook alongside the donation page for those who tune in and want to contribute to the good cause.

When Tiny Changes was named a Changemaker earlier this year, Grant told The Big Issue: “We already have a voice and a platform that other charities would have to fight for. We want to use that voice to represent young people and children who might be suffering, or to prevent them suffering mental illness. And we want to use that voice to get to policymakers. They need to be told that this isn’t OK.”

 Full line-up:

• Frets Kitchen Concerts
• Scottish Chamber Orchestra
• Reel Youth Media
• Nova Scotia The Truth
• Matt Maltese
• Naomi Munn
• Broken Chanter
• Carla Easton
• Man of Moon
• Aoife Nessa Frances
• Bill Ryder-Jones
• Tim Burgess
• Intercultural Youth Scotland
• Finn & The Jacques
• Paix
• Heir of The Cursed
• Matilda Mann
• Loel Campbell
• Cloth
• The Staves
• Frank Turner
• Annie Hardy (Giant Drag)