On May 5th 2010 Cosmopol Glasgow opened its doors for an event organised by White Light Promotions in aid of St. Margaret of Scotland Hospice. The aim was to have four acts take the stage in order to raise awareness for the Hospice as well as raising much needed funds.
John Main was the first to take to the stage armed only with his guitar, his voice and a number of songs, both covers and original material. His set was short and sweet which added to his appeal as it left the audience wanting more and asking around to find out where they could find him. His cover songs were well chosen and well rehearsed with his rendition of Michael Buble's "Haven't Met You Yet" giving the crowd a familiar hook to which they could sing along (and they duly obliged).
The penultimate act came in the form of The Upbeat Beatdown who were a Glasgow based funk/rock band from Glasgow. They fought through an energetic mix of funk rock covers and originals with their arsenal of weapons which included no less than seven instruments, ranging from guitars to trumpets and even a cheeky synth for good measure (which is impressive for a five piece act). A great cover of the Lipps Inc favourite "Funky town" merged perfectly with an original song and had the crowd worked into a frenzy. There was singing, there was dancing, there was joking and laughing and that was just the front man! And boy did it work, with the crowd played its part by returning the favour. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is quite possibly the most fun and entertaining unsigned band I have ever seen and if you do one thing in Glasgow this summer make sure you see The Upbeat Beatdown.
Last but not least came Mellifluous - another rocky outfit, this time from Dumbarton. They eased through their set and had a good onstage presence. Front man Andrew Ferguson occasionally looked helpless during the slower songs without an instrument to hide behind but brought it back to good form during the heavier numbers. A tight band with their heads in the right places.
The event was a success as over one hundred people attended and helped to raise over two hundred pounds for the charity as well as providing important signatures for a petition to keep a number of beds in the Hospice which are under threat.