Project engineer takes to the stage in charity gig
Over £2000 has been raised at a charity concert in which an AJ Engineering project engineer performed for the first time in five years.
Gary Moyes joined seven other bandmates at Elgin Town Hall to stage The Conversation: I am Me with all proceeds from the night being donated to mental health charity Mikeysline.
Vocalist Gary got involved in the project after his friend Alan Jamieson penned the song.
Gary said: “Alan was the original driving force behind this and it all started at the beginning of last year. We have been friends since school and have been in bands on and off over the years. He had penned some lyrics and asked for my help to pull the music together and that is really how it started. It just began as a bit of fun and then it grew from there. I had commented to Alan that the lyrics were quite different from what he usually penned. It was shared to some of the others and the more people who heard it, the more people wanted to get involved.”
Since that time, a band was formed featuring other well-known musicians from across the region including members of The Fragz, Into The Pines, Danny Mortimer and MacTa.
Gary said: “I guess the lyrics just really got us thinking so we decided to do a concert in aid of
Mikeysline.”
Mikeysline was founded in 2015 after a tragic number of suicide in the Highland area. Since then the charity has been supporting people in emotional distress and struggling with their mental health and it now hopes to branch out to offer more support in Moray.
The concert took place on January 21 and Gary said he was blown away by the support.
“It was a sell-out gig and we were performing to a crowd of around 200 people. It was incredible from start to finish. There was a great vibe and a great crowd. Being back on stage was so nerve-wracking and it was the first time we had performed together. The reception we got was overwhelming. People were actually singing along. To have people knowing the lyrics was insane. We knew people liked the song but we didn’t think people had actually digested it. When Alan got off stage, he was rightly emotional. He deserved to be, after all, it was his song.”
Gary said that he is pleased they have raised money for the charity, but what is equally important is making people aware that the charity is here to offer support.
“We have been able to raise a substantial amount of money for the charity. There are still a few donations to come in, but at the moment we have raised just under £2,200 and we are thrilled with that. Mikeysline are very well established in Highland, but they are supporting people in Moray and they are seeking a more permanent base or hub here, so this money will be a good foundation for the charity turning that into a reality. Before we did this gig, I was kind of aware of Mikeysline, but I didn’t understand everything that it can help with. With the cost of living crisis and other things going on in the world right now, charities like these are so important.”
