Stephen Lee Clarke has been putting on non-profit DIY gigs under the guise of Wrongpop since 2007 (5th birthday was February of this year), both in Stoke-on-Trent and now in London where he moved last year. All for the love of music and friends - nothing more, nothing less.
Now Stephen is launching a charity compilation album to raise money for Deafness Research UK where 100 per cent of the profits will go to the cause. We caught up with Stephen to find out more about Wrongpop and why he wants to support the charity...
Why did you start Wrongpop?
The aim of Wrongpop is to put on an eclectic mix of genres at every gig at a cheap price for people to discover new acts that they wouldn't have necessarily discovered otherwise. All of the money made on the door goes to the bands and DJs, and they also get a full venue to play to - everyone's happy - and that makes me very happy. Having been in many different bands over the past 15 years, (and coming across some dodgy promoters in my time) I totally understand the needs of bands who are going out on the road to promote themselves and this is why I started these nights.
So what's this latest venture? You're releasing a charity compilation?
During my time, I have also put on gigs for charities, one close to my heart is Deafness Research UK (registered charity number 326915). This time around, I decided that it would be a good idea to release 'Wrongpop: Volume 1' - a charity compilation album for this great cause! People can listen to the album now at www.wrongpop.bandcamp.com and it will be available to buy for a limited time - March 1st - 31st, after which it will get taken down and all the money passed on. They will get to listen to 14 awesome bands for £5, and also raise money and awareness for people that don't have that ability to do so. Win-win situation.
Who's involved? Tell us more about the bands...
I have been very lucky to get so much support from the bands and labels involved. Seven of the 14 tracks are exclusive and won't be available anywhere else. It's a very mixed bag of tunes, something for everyone. Bands such as Pulled Aprt By Horses, Part Chimp, Kong & everyone included are all getting involved with helping to spread the word. There's a lot of new music here for people to get stuck into and maybe they might check out other stuff by these artists too.
Why Deafness Research UK? Is it something personal to you?
Deafness Research UK is something I care a great deal about - a friend of mine had a son who was born deaf, and so I put on a gig to raise money for a cochlea implant. I also have a lot of friends who are fully or partially deaf, great people who live life to the full! Helping to raise money for this cause is the least I can do, and is something I aim to keep on doing after this album.
How can people get a copy of the album?
People can help by spreading the word, the internet is a great place for people to share all kinds of great stuff! I am humbled already by everybody's help, so let's make a huge amount of cash to pass on to Deafness Research UK! If people want to know more about the charity, then go to the Deafness Research UK website. I'll also be revealing details of a charity gig to coincide with this, so follow me on Twitter.
