Benefit gig - Friends of Lewes Arms

The Con Club is hosting a benefit concert for the Friends of the Lewes Arms fighting fund on Saturday, featuring a number of local bands. The evening’s MC John May promises ‘there’s music from right across the spectrum, from jazz to concertina music, from folk to music hall, from acoustic blues to rock.’ Most of the musicians - there will be over 30 on the bill - are former Lewes Arms regulars: perennial favourites on the Lewes scene like The Koils and the Kondoms who are joined by less-renowned combos such as One Size Fits All and The Rhythm Method. May himself is performing a short set, with his son Louis. Karavan, Pam and Paul’s Music Hall and The Concertina Trio complete the bill.

The concert is free, but donations will be very welcome, which will go towards the campaign to persuade Greene King to put Harveys back behind the bar. “There’s been some money laid out for materials like banners, which are quite expensive, and there may be a need in the future for further campaign expenses,” says FOLA spokesman Martin Shepherd. The group have formed a committee with a treasurer who will ensure funds raised ‘will be accounted for and used appropriately’. If FOLA win the campaign, any surplus will go to charity. And is there any chance of that happening soon? After all the positive noises Greene King made last week about changing their policy enabling certain of their landlords more autonomy from the company, there have been no developments. Watch this space. AL