|  Help for Heroes is a registered charity | | (As published for Bournemouth Daily Echo)
SOUND Of The Suburbs co-hosted a ska themed evening at Bournemouth Pier’s Key West restaurant.
Friends and family of servicemen past and present came together to help raise money and awareness for Help For Heroes.
The charity, which was launched in 2007, was set up to help wounded servicemen and women who were coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq.
Friday night’s event involved a raffle and performances from ska and blues artists from all over the country.
Local rock and blues outfit Break In The Middle had the task of warming up the crowd. Opening with a saxophone solo in the shape of Madness’ One Step Beyond, the duo went on to perform a number of popular blues hits, including Blues Brothers’ favourites Mustang Sally and Everybody, and Ray Charles’ Shake A Tail Feather.
Birmingham’s Johnny 2 Bad headlined and played their reggae/ska tunes right through to the early hours. Dressed in crisp white shirts and trousers they delivered a superb set, punctuated by UB40 hits, including Can’t Help Falling In Love and I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight.
The brass musicians made the most of being wire-free, weaving in and out of the crowd to create a real sense of involvement for all.
Vocalist Wayne Lawrence took a moment to thank everyone for showing their support and to thank all servicemen and women who have played an important role in the British forces.
Despite a disappointing turnout those who did show their support enjoyed the evening, taking comfort in the fact that it was aid of charity.
Allana Cutter | |