Credit: Gary Ullah
Writer
Writer Jessica Coslett reveals how Uncovered Artistry’s event at Stereo entertained with an eclectic line-up of musicians while also raising awareness about domestic and sexual abuse
The four acts making up the gig provided a wide variety of music, from acoustic folk to retro rock; although music was a main focus, the theme of the night never strayed far from the boutique’s mission – raising awareness of domestic and sexual abuse as well as supporting victims by selling jewellery made by survivors.
Though the event was fairly intimate, it raised over £200. The lively atmosphere made it easy to see the connection between art and empowerment. It was because of this connection that Uncovered Artistry focuses on jewellery as a way of helping survivors of abuse. Says founder Angie Spoto, “I decided to focus our shop initially on jewellery because we both had experience making and selling jewellery ourselves. We knew how empowering and fulfilling it was to create a boutique that helped individuals who could really benefit from these effects—survivors of abuse.”
The first act to take the stage was Montauk, a duo comprised of a brother and sister, the former of whom is an Uncovered Artistry partner. Despite their modest and hesitant introductions, their short set of original acoustic pop songs was entertaining and well put together, starting the night off on a good note.
The event really took off, however, with singer/songwriter Chrissy Barnacle, whose youthful appearance and quiet stage presence made her powerful voice somewhat a surprise. Although accompanied only by an acoustic guitar, her rapid finger-picking and dynamic Kate Bush-like vocals captured everyone’s attention.
Groove rock band Grim Morrison drew in the biggest crowd. Some people sat on the floor or on seats while others stood, but all appeared engaged and entertained. It was hard not to at least tap your foot to the loud and high energy songs with notably catchy bass lines and vocals that had just the right amount of growling.
The final performance from the electronic duo Unexpected Bowtie was less put together than the other acts and seemed an unnecessary addition; since people started to peel off after they began their set, it felt rather like they were there to play everyone out. However, it was late enough by then that I can’t imagine anyone left feeling unsatisfied with the gig as a whole.
Artists become Uncovered Artistry artisans most often through the ‘Contact Us’ form on the non-profit’s website, http://www.uncoveredartistry.com/. Though their focus is mainly on jewellery, the boutique aims to support creativity in many forms, which is one of the reasons they put together the fundraising gig. As Angie put it, “Music can really bring people together, and we saw that happen during our December event.”
