Portsmouth band is raising hundreds for NHS Charities Together through music sharing campaign

Sounds4Pounds is an idea thought up by local five-piece group Rotaries, as a way to raise vital money and promote their newest track Smart Ones - with more than £1,000 collected in just three days.

Band members Liam Hickey, Nathan Sibley, Jordan Davies, Jamie Sibley and Justin Brown started by donating a gig fee, and have since been encouraging people to listen to the single and donate £2, before passing on the music or changing to a new track if they want to.

The group, which has been together since January 2018, aims to gather more support by getting other local artists involved so they can raise as much as possible - with Express FM promoting the campaign on its Local Music Show.

Guitarist and vocalist Nathan, 22, said: ‘We are indebted to those who are putting themselves at risk on the front line to fight this. We wanted to give something back and couldn’t be happier with how our supporters and local music have come together.

‘The song really carries some meaning given the current climate and we wanted to emphasise the vital role our NHS has played over the last few months.’

Jordan, also 22, added: ‘Despite being a small band, we are ever so slightly in the public eye and therefore I feel like we have an obligation to do what we can to help the heroes on the front line.’

Multi-vocalist band Rotaries has performed at the Wedgewood Rooms and released five singles to date, recorded at Mayfield Studios in Drayton. They also have an EP in the works to finalise and release when they can.

Liam, whose cousin Abbey Blackmore created the video for Smart Ones, said: ‘It’s up to you to decide what the song means, but for me it’s about the power of the collective to drive change.

‘For that reason it felt right to use it to try and provide something tangible, rather than just releasing it as an empty gesture of support.’

To stream the track, go to ditto.fm/smart-ones and to donate to Sounds4Pounds, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/sounds4pounds.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.