Gig organisation can be a tricky thing. There can be a temptation to do too much. The well-meaning and well organised gig for Gaza has twelve separate performance slots, running between 7pm and 11pm, with some acts appearing multiple times.

By Miles Salter and Stuart Duthie

Photos by Stuart Duthie

The cabaret format works well. The audience stays interested (hopefully), and the mixture of local acts here was strong. Navigators (the organisation who staged this event), led by Richard Kitchen, have a penchant for left-field acts who may not otherwise find an audience, and have won praise for this enthusiasm, utilising ‘outside the box creativity’ (BBC Upload).

Lara McLure kicked things off with a story about a man who could walk through walls. This York storyteller is unusual, confident and has her tongue occasionally in her cheek. She was very enjoyable.

Cast (not the well-known Liverpool band) is a one-man wonder – using his magic tonsils, throat, and tongue to sound like a beat box and drum machine, trip hop from the larynx. His brilliance won cheers from the audience.

Knitting Circle are a rock band who play ‘socially-conscious and urgent post-punk.’  The singer said their first song was ‘about the menopause,’ which is one of the more unusual opening statements I have seen a band make at the start of a set. Their drummer, happily smashing away, is a strong asset.

Tom Carrol, from Captain Starlet, played a nice set which showed his 1960s influences – including the Incredible String Band, no less. The band’s songs on Spotify sound great, it would have been good to have heard them on stage, but Tom’s is a humble, likeable presence.

Bricks played abrupt, punchy songs and Borgia gave the audience ‘jazz punk’ which was tight and original, mixing rock rhythms with zany brass embellishments. Their final song involved an enormous white euphonium which nearly smacked into the Crescent’s ceiling.

As the evening wore on, the audience became depleted, with punters sloping home. This is the curse of the ambitious gig – twelve slots are a lot for an audience to get through, unless they are absolutely fizzing with commitment, and Sunday night has the unfortunate promise of Monday morning just around the corner.

The cause is a good one, and the money raised will go to Medical Aid to Palestine. Several acts voiced their anger at Israel’s appalling behaviour in Gaza, backed by the USA and the selling of arms which the UK is complicit in. ‘Fuck the arms trade,’ one act said. Indeed. It’s a sick world. Artists make it a better place with their conscience and commitment.

The next event by Navigators is this Saturday, 20 September at Basement Bar. It features Carmen Troncosco, Desmond Clarke and OSC, No Spinoza and The NSC Sound Union. Advance tickets are £6 or it’s £10 on the door.

Gig For Gaza took place at The Crescent, York on Sunday 14 September 2025.