COCO Society is back with a bang for their second fundraising event. Following the overwhelming success of COCO Society’s Michaelmas Speed Dating event, the society is now very proud to present DECIBEL: a night of fresh sound from some of the most exciting musical talent in the north of England. DECIBEL will pump a shot of indie-fueled pop into the Durham music scene and is set to be one of the largest live music events the university has seen in recent times.

All profits raised from the night will go towards COCO, a small Newcastle-based charity, co-founded by Steve Cram CBE, which aims to provide sustainable sources of education in East Africa, including Kenya, and Tanzania, with their work beginning to extend to Uganda. Nearly 30 million children from sub-Saharan Africa do not attend school and with there being clear links between education, opportunity and health, the work of COCO is vital to improve the lives of people from impoverished communities. One of the ways they are seeking to do this is in creating ‘Schools for Life’: community-led, sustainable and built to last. COCO always listens to the community with which they are working to ensure that the community’s needs are met and that there is a sustainable plan for the future. One of the success stories of COCO’s work is the Hoja Community School in Tanzania where COCO supported the community in building dormitories, eliminating the need for students to travel huge distances every morning and evening in order to be able to attend school. This means that students have more time to study, as well as enjoy their free time.

The fundraising show will also be the north-east debut of Motherhood, a four-piece hailing from the cultural behemoth of Liverpool. Established in the Autumn of 2016, the band has garnered fans far and wide with their own brand of danceable, rhythmic indie. The band’s early demo track, Clueless, earned them a spin on BBC Radio 1 and since then the boys have continued to go from strength to strength, including earning a spot on Good Karma Club, a London club night with acts hand-picked by Abbie McCarthy of BBC Radio 1, off the back of recent single Save Me. And the blogosphere jury is out too, with high-praises from CLASH, DIY and Dork as well as BPI (the British Phonographic Industry) who named them the ‘new saviours of indie-pop’.

Motherhood

However, if you’re in search of Durham-grown talent then look no further. Support will include Jordan Sheath and a new and undiscovered act from DH1 Records.

Jordan, a talented second-year from Van Mildert college, has racked up over 24,000 fans on Facebook, thanks to his oh-so-good covers of current pop songs as well as a showcase of his superb voice on his EP, available on Spotify.

DH1 Records are the new student record label in Durham and seek to provide a platform for musical talent in Durham, where a very limited platform existed (mostly in the form of open-mic nights at Osbourne’s on Sundays). DECIBEL will be the first showcase of their talent, with DH1 Records providing the opening act – no pressure!

So, grab a few friends and head down to the DSU for a night of exciting live music from your next favourite artists, all in aid of the fantastic local charity, COCO.

For ticket information, please see the COCO Society Durham facebook page: www.facebook.com/cocosocietydurham

And check out the DECIBEL playlist to get you in the mood: https://open.spotify.com/user/1188493139/playlist/3QaACkqqvjjgMxf6QH59Z4