The looping, emceeing, beatboxing extraordinaire has been smashing gigs all over Nottingham and beyond for yonks. After grafting his arse off for Gawd-knows how long, he recently decided to apply to compete in the Vocaloops battle at vocalmente; an a cappella festival located in Fassano, Italy which takes place next week.
Unfortunately, having performed at festivals for free all over the place this summer, our kid was a bit short on funds and was struggling to afford to get to the place. Being the humble sod that he is, Alex ‘Motormouf’ Young stated on Facebook “I applied for the battle on a whim with not much confidence I was going to be accepted to compete, yet here I am pulling my hair out trying to figure out what to do.”
Immediately afterwards, Nottingham's musical populace called out suggestions as to what to do.
“Credit card! Solves problems quicker than you can say ‘Italy!’” said Harleighblu.
“Write to whoever makes your loop pedal, tell them all about how much you gig and say you are looking for sponsorship,” said Gaz Peacham from The Maze.
“We can make next week’s gig a pay-what-you-want donation thing,” said Bradley Rice from JamCafe.
As well as these suggestions – plus loads more that’re unfit for publication – loads of people came through to shout “Crowdfunder!”
Thus, the campaign was born.
Overnight, our Motormouf managed to raise a whopping 500 quid to get himself to the competition and represent Nottingham in all its musical glory.
It just goes to show how hard work and determination is not to be sniffed at. Well done Alex, we hope you smash it.
In other news, local rapper James Ellis is in a similar position. Rob Da Bank has offered him a thirty-minute set at Bestival but he needs to raise funds to cover the costs. James has cerebral palsy, which raises the need for a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, plus he’ll need accommodation and fuel costs. There’s just one final hurdle to go for the campaign, and it’ll be an amazing inspiration for young, creative people with disabilities everywhere if he performs. Let’s do this. You can #GetJamesToBestival here.
vocalmente festival takes place in Fossano, Italy, Thursday 25 – Sunday 28 August
Motormouf Answered Our Questions in Photographic Form
Toast Video: Motormouf Performance
NG64 Video: Motormouf Performance
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