Page 14 - Community Living Magazine 33 - 1

human rights

Keeping it punk into the night

Hearing “drink up, it’s time to go home” propelled sweary Afterwards, we had a post-gig pint to
punk band Heavy Load into fighting for the right for people round the evening off.
This had been a massive deal for us. It
with learning disabilities to stay up late, says Paul Richards was the first time we had played to a non
disability arts audience and we had been
quite nervous. But we stormed it and they
aybe like most social loved us. We deserved a drink and to bask
movements, it all started over a in the moment.
Mpint in a pub. I was the bass Michael White (our drummer) was only
player in punk band Heavy Load with halfway though his pint when his support
four other musicians, three of whom had worker came over and uttered the
learning disabilities. immortal words: “Drink up, Michael. It’s
Our sound was probably an acquired time to go home.” Those few words
taste. We were loud, chaotic and very changed everything.
sweary. We often had no idea what was They took the shine off the evening but
going to happen next in our also provoked us into saying “Enough is
performances, which made life really enough – we have to do something about
exciting for us and for our fans. this” and the Stay Up Late campaign
When we formed in 1997, there weren’t was born.
many bands around at the time doing With friends at 2018’s Latitude festival The birth of the campaign is one of the
what we did – and it is fair to say none stories featured in the Heavy Load film,
were doing quite what we did. We never for one moment thought it and that was the springboard for us to do
This attracted the attention of was anything to do with the energy burst all sorts of things we had never dreamt of
documentary film director Jerry and torrent of swearing that we were being possible: albums, New York, Berlin,
Rothwell, who made a movie about our about to unleash. No; we assumed that two Glastonbury festivals, writing the
peculiar world. there must have been a fundamental flaw theme tune for Channel 4 drama series
Before filming started, we had already in the way support staff shifts had been Cast Offs and going on a road trip to play
made a reputation for ourselves playing all planned, which meant they were not at a squat in Copenhagen. Our final gig
over the UK at disability arts events – flexible enough to allow people to see the was in Trafalgar Square in 2012 as part of
where the same thing would happen. At end of a gig or club night. the Paralympics.
9pm, just before we got on stage, half the We knew we had to do something Despite all these achievements, the
audience would leave about it. single most important thing I think we did
was starting the Stay Up Late campaign,
Going mainstream which became a charity to continue the
Back to the pint at the start work we had started.
of this article. We had been It enabled us to put in simple language
invited to support another a profound point about people with
band at a local pub. learning disabilities being robbed of a
The place was rammed basic human right – the right to party.
and we just went for it. Of course, we do not actually care what
The scene that unravelled time people go to bed as long as they get
was like something out of to make that decision. My belief is that if
a movie. As we unleashed people can make decisions about their
our thrash punk version of social lives, then an awful lot of other
Batman, most people things will just fall in to place because
seemed to have their they will be living in a culture that
mouths hanging open – supports them properly.
we were not pub rock and
this was not what they A friend to go to gigs with
were expecting. The week after we played our final gig was
However, Simon Barker, the week I found we had been successful
our charismatic frontman, in getting funding to start up Gig Buddies
soon won them over and, in Brighton and Hove. One door closes
by the end of the set, he and another opens.
had everyone singing The idea behind Gig Buddies was to
along and clapping. It was create a befriending scheme where
just incredible. people with learning disabilities were
matched with a volunteer who shared
Marching to banish bedtimes musical interests. This would enable them
14 Vol 33 No 1 | Autumn 2019 Community Living www.cl-initiatives.co.uk