The news of this gig came alongside the release of the deluxe edition for Capaldi’s latest track ‘Stay Love’, which features on the deluxe edition of his EP ‘Survive’. While the lyrics of the song itself see Capaldi longing for romantic intimacy: “Baby, hear when I say / Oh won't you stay, love / When everybody's leaving?”, the music video released alongside it depicts a young man caring for his aging father, shedding a light on a different kind of necessary partnership and further championing primary caregivers.
UK census data estimates that there are 5.8 million informal carers in this country alone, delivering essential support to vulnerable loved ones, whether that be family, friends, or neighbours. It is heartwarming to see this selflessness not only acknowledged, but rewarded, by a musician with such a high status and a major platform, and hopefully the move will inspire similar, and more widespread, advocacy and celebrations by fellow musicians and organisations alike.
Speaking to young primary caregiver Maisie Moss, she said:
“It’s nice to be recognised, you do so much all the time, constantly thinking for yourself and another person – like making sure they’ve taken medicine, making sure they’re okay, cooking for them before you can even think of doing it yourself – but because it’s your normal, you don’t feel the need to point it out to people, so to have massive artists not just acknowledge, but champion it means so much.
And I’d say it’s an under-represented group, so many people are carers but I think there’s a lot of stigma. I hated people knowing I was a carer when I was younger because I felt like it took away from my personality. So to have it being made more normal means a lot too".
Organisers have described this as a first-of-its-kind event. While it may be unfeasible to regularly provide such events for free, the execution of this show proves that the music industry can be doing more to support disabled concertgoers and their carers – if they have the capacity to increase accommodations at shows, for a start. O2 Forum Kentish Town already offers accessibility measures, but if they can install additional physical aides for events like this, such as viewing platforms and ramping, then there is no reason that these could not be permanently fixed. Such modifications would not disrupt the experience of abled people in general admission.
Similarly, accessibility is not only about the physical venue. More specialised training that allows staff to understand and respond proactively to different access needs, rather than waiting until an issue arises, would be highly beneficial for disabled concert attendees everywhere. Currently, security seemingly focuses on active disruptions in concert crowds, but specialised training with a more proactive rather than reactive approach would be highly beneficial for disabled concert attendees everywhere.
Hopefully, the night will not only be an enjoyable, comfortable break for those with unpaid duties, but set a precedent for gigs going forward, by demonstrating how venues and musicians can incorporate further accessibility into their sets to allow everyone the joy of live music.
This gig is now sold out, but Lewis Capaldi is set to play across the UK and internationally at festivals and headline shows until the end of the year. Tickets to see him at one of these dates can be found here.
Zahra Hanif
Image: ‘All The Rest’ Official EP Cover