It’s hard to imagine many folk today who are unfamiliar with Oxfam. The global charity has been alleviating poverty and hunger since 1942, and has been active in Australia under various monikers for decades. Oxjam, however, is something new: a month of parties and performances to encourage support for the myriad causes to which Oxfam is committed, and capped with a massive Sydney launch event. Between tweaking the UK model on which the Australian event is based and putting the finishing touches on an outstanding launch lineup, fundraising coordinator Nadia Watson can barely contain her anticipation.
“It’s getting so exciting! All the activities are underway now, all the big and the small,” she says. “We’d been looking at doing this for a few years now, but the time hadn’t been right for a number of reasons. But we’ve got such awesome teams working with us now in Sydney and in Melbourne, and we’re all such music lovers. Most of our teams are musicians as well, and it just came together at the right time. The theme also seemed to fit in Australia at the right time, too … it’s almost like this push for people to unplug their instruments and come back to this local level. Just jamming, playing with friends, and that’s what we wanted to tap into. So the timing feels perfect.”
Oxjam has been operating in England for close to ten years now, and every early indication suggests our Australian version is set to follow the same level of success. The ethos is simple; over the month of August, the opportunity to host or participate in DIY gigs in support of Oxfam’s work will be offered to one and all. No matter where or who you are – from major cities to small regional towns – and whatever your level of experience, the chance to party against poverty is there.
“We have an awesome team working here who have been doing events for a long time, and absolutely anyone can sign up to be involved,” Watson says. “It doesn’t matter how big or small it is, we’re here to help. There are top tips from experts that we send out, and [participants] also get a gigmaker guide when they sign up. So there’s a lot of support from us, but there’s also a lot of support from industry people and our partners. Places like I Oh You, Goodgod, One Dayers, UNDR ctrl – those guys are providing us with tips on how to throw parties and do these events on a limited budget, whether you’re doing it from a big venue or from your home. And we’re really encouraging people in rural areas to get involved, because it’s all about bringing communities together.
“The great thing about this concept is that music, no matter what genre you’re into, is something that everybody loves and that brings people together. It creates a sense of belonging. In many regional areas, the communities are quite strong but they’re much smaller. Everybody knows each other, so that’s a great way for rural areas to get involved and connect to this global environment, and genuinely help out people who aren’t that well off. The whole idea is that people are connecting with Oxfam’s work overseas by communicating and celebrating locally.”
Spearheading the Sydney festivities is Oxjam’s official launch at the MTV headquarters, with a stellar lineup including Yolanda Be Cool, Set Mo and Nicky Night Time, and DJ sets from both Cosmo’s Midnight and Elizabeth Rose. Watson’s excitement over the gig is well-justified; the launch is gearing up to be a standout event in the city’s calendar. However, it is still not too late to stage an event yourself. Better still, you’ll be contributing to ending one of the greatest calamities the world has ever known.
“We’re working with the likes of MTV Dance and MTV Music, FBi Radio, to throw this massive launch event at the beginning of August that stretches throughout the month, and also for the closing party,” says Watson. “It’s going to cover a wide genre of music, from electronica to punk to folk. We’ve really tried to make it our own, and we’re looking at some big-name Australian artists on the lineup.
“But we’re also asking people to run their own events then and dig into the buzz that will be generated around the launch. While they’ve got until the start of August to register a gig, we encourage [people] to get involved early to really benefit from the advice they can get from us. It can really just be as simple as getting your mates together and doing a little DJ set. You could even be a week out and register something that just involves inviting everyone around to get their instruments out and have a great time.
“And if it turns out that for whatever reason you’re busy during August – we have one band who are really keen but are touring then – you can still host something in early September. We’re happy to be flexible with the dates if it encourages more people to get involved and get connected with a genuinely good cause.”
[Pictured: Set Mo]
Oxjam Launch Party, with Yolanda Be Cool, Set Mo, Nicky Night Time, Cosmo’s Midnight (DJ set), Elizabeth Rose (DJ set), is on Thursday July 30 at MTV Studios. For a full list of Oxjam events for the month of August, visit oxjam.org.au
