Beat the Streets Breaks Its Own Record for Fundraising

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“It’s personal for me,” said George Akins, MD of DHP Family, on Sunday afternoon.

Akins’ group, DHP Family, has been on a mission since 2001 to support Framework in its efforts to help rough sleepers. The event in question? Beat the Streets—a massive success, breaking their personal record by raising at least £480,000 in advance online ticket sales.

Why is it personal for Akins?

“I was in a taxi in London, actually, on a long journey between Hammersmith and Hackney, and I got talking to the driver. We got on the subject of homelessness—we started seeing more of it in 2018.” Akins said it seemed like the issue had become more visible, not just in Nottingham, but across the entire country. “His parting shot to me was: ‘Well, what are you going to do about it?’”

It’s a difficult question we’ve all been asked at least once in our lives. On Sunday, Nottingham proved that it can help—and even better, through the power of music and community.

“Framework’s been working with DHP Family and all the venues involved since 2018,” said Claire McGonigle, Deputy Chief Executive of Framework.

“Framework provides homelessness services—we have street outreach, homeless hostels, 24/7 provision, supported housing, and other services to support those experiencing this disadvantage.” Since its inception, Beat the Streets has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to support Framework’s vital street outreach teams.

The reason for the event may not be all sunshine and roses, but it didn’t dampen the mood or energy of those involved—including Akins himself.

Before the festival kicked off, Akins took press and VIP guests on a tour of Rock City, pointing out rooms where musical legends may or may not have thrown a temper tantrum.

One story involved Slipknot, whom Akins saw—fully dressed in their nightmarish masks—having a full-on fistfight in the green room.

“It wasn’t easy getting Shane MacGowan on stage,” Akins said of the late great poet when he played Rock City. Another tale featured Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream. The common thread in these stories? A vague sense that their respective "reactions" were probably linked to the same diet—or lack thereof.

Which is why seeing local acts is so refreshing. The youthful energy, the lack of prima donna behaviour—it’s a reminder that being in a local band is actually hard work.

Beat the Streets featured mostly local acts, many scouted from Nottingham open mics, performing at five venues across the city: Rock City, Rescue Rooms, Stealth, The Bodega, and Rough Trade. There was no way I could have caught all 50+ acts—but I certainly tried.

The first act we saw was Familyfriend at Rescue Rooms’ Red Room—a one-man band with a laptop and a guitar, whose fluttering falsettos reminded me a lot of Radiohead’s In Rainbows. He had interesting melodies and more complex-than-usual song structures. I really enjoyed his abilities as a producer and engineer.

Half an hour later, at 2 o'clock, we caught Sharp Class at Rock City. They sounded like they’d just stepped out of a time machine from the early 2000s—imagine if The Jam and the Kaiser Chiefs had a stepchild. They had a great track that stood out to me called ‘Ordinary People.’

We then hopped back over to the Red Room to catch Hex Poseur, a grunge power-trio led by a singer/guitarist I wouldn’t want to pick a fight with. She had the attitude to match the anger and passion of their music—and the crowd absolutely ate it up.

At Rock City, Jayahadadream’s set was inspiring—her band was tight, effortlessly blending funk, hip-hop, and reggae elements.

The act that stood out most to me—the one that fascinated everyone—was Revenge of Calculon, who performed at Rough Trade. I was so taken by them that I had to speak with their synthesizer/keyboard player, Rob Madison.

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A band whose image (luchador wrestler masks and tracksuits) hits you before their sound, their music had to be as left-of-field as their look.

“We’ve been doing this for 10 years. Rough Trade’s a home from home for us. I started out as a producer. We write and record everything there.”

Where did the look come from?

“I don’t really know where it came from. Might’ve been a late-night thing. Personally, I hate seeing a band wearing t-shirts and jeans.

We’re both massive fans of psychedelic music. We’re both massive fans of Frank Zappa. One of the questions Zappa asked early on was: Does humour belong in music? Yes, it does.

Even in the most serious bands, humour is intrinsic. You wouldn’t be doing music if you didn’t have a sense of humour—because the pay is terrible, the hours are awful.

We just like sharing our art with people, making a connection, and at the same time—not being ‘funny’—but having a good sense of humour.”

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