Portsmouth bands come together for day-long Interstellar Food Drive at Staggeringly Good Brewery

Co-organiser Brad Sked of Strong island Recordings says: ‘The usage of food banks was already rising year-on-year pre-pandemic due to a decade of austerity and government cuts, whilst the the pandemic itself and the rise in the cost of living has also contributed to an escalation in usage of food banks.

‘Due to this, the Portsmouth collective of Strong Island Recordings, Thank God For Sinners, Mark Kellett, Velvet Candy and Vol.1 have come together once again to help aid local food banks in this time of need.’

The event is at Staggeringly Good Brewery on Rodney Road, Milton on Saturday, April 16.

Doors open at 1pm with music from 2pm until late, in order: Frankie Knight, Jimmy Stuart, Megan Linford, Tom Bryan, Dad Hair, Web, Slug Money, Dead Rabbits, and headliners Emptifish.’

The Trussell Trust network, which includes Portsmouth Foodbank, gave out a record 2.5m emergency food packages in the financial year 2020/21.

The Interstellar Food Drive was birthed out of previous food bank drive events, and over the years has seen the likes of Drug Store Romeos, Dead Rabbits, Hotel Lux, Melt Dunes, Barbudo and Pregoblin play the fundraising events.

Due to Covid, the 2020 version took place online, featuring Tina, Rosie Alena, TV Priest, Lynks, Jessica Winter, Ugly, Thyla, Maripool, Breathe Panel and lots more emerging artists from the UK – as well as international acts including BADGERS, Sunfruits, Dear Doonan and Tropa Magica. The six-and-a-half-hour event can be revisited on YouTube.

The cosmic fundraiser will also feature an art exhibition and stalls along with psychedelic visuals, while Staggeringly Good Brewery is also a family and dog friendly space, which also hosts a number of free-to-play retro arcade games.

Potential items to donate include:

:: Cereal

:: Soup

:: Pasta

:: Rice

:: Tinned tomatoes/ pasta sauce

:: Sauces

:: Lentils, beans and pulses

:: Tinned meat and fish

:: Tinned vegetables

:: Tea/coffee/ hot chocolate

:: Tinned fruit

:: Biscuits

:: UHT milk

:: Fruit juice

:: Sweets and chocolate

:: Pet food (because animals need help too)

:: Toiletries