AT first, it may appear impossible to establish any connection between musicians Pat Kane and V-Twin, let alone between them and comedian Phil Kay or the sounds of Soma's Silicone Soul.
It is therefore a measure of the strength of the cause that all the above (and many more) are coming together on Saturday night at the Bedsit at Caledonian University's Park Campus, in aid of the Beatson, the Western Infirmary's oncology unit.
Anyone who makes it along (and tickets are available on the door, or in advance, from Fopp Records or the 13th Note Cafe) will find the night split into two sections - the first featuring the house band for the night, Button Up, whose core line-up of Paul Gallacher (keyboards), Ross McFarlane (drums), and Gary John Kane (bass) will be augmented by a string of special guests. These include Kane's big brother, Pat, Del Amitri's Justin Currie, The McCluskey Brothers, Yvonne Tipping, The High Fidelity, and the aforementioned V-Twin.
After midnight, and a set by Phil Kay, it is grooves to the fore with an impressive DJ line-up that features not only Soma's Silicone Soul and Glen Roy, but also Paul Cawley and The Buff Club's John Romano.
The event is very much about direct action, as organiser, and host for the night Mark Robb explains: ''It was one of these things that kind of stemmed from sitting around in the pub. Myself, Ken McCluskey, Bobsy Mullen, and Glen Gibbons had all lost people we loved to cancer over the past few years. We also realised how much better, in some cases, the provision for the terminally ill could be.
Robb adds: ''We hope to raise around #4000 from the night. We thought quite carefully about how we would use the money. Charities like Cancer Research are well resourced, we just decided
that we would rather put the money to somewhere local, where you could see the
results, even if it is on a modest scale. If the money raised pays for a bed in the Western, and the people who work in the unit come down on the night and have a good time, then we will be well satisfied.''
As well as the show, the organisers have been involved in other ventures for the same cause. A number of charity runs last summer raised #800, and, for Saturday night, some of the city's finest eating and drinking establishments and a couple of hairdressers have supplied prizes for the evening's raffle.
''Cancer is something that touches everybody's family or circle of friends at some point in their lives,'' concludes Robb, ''and that is why so many people have donated their talent or time to the night. This is an attempt to acknowledge that in the guise of a good night out.''
n The Beatson Benefit is at The Bedsit, 1 Park Drive, Glasgow, on Saturday. It starts at 9pm and tickets cost #8.
John Williamson
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