Motown masters to reward NHS heroes with free party night
A Renfrew band has promised a free gig for NHS staff to say a big thank you for their lifesaving efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.
Southern Flavor, who are also known as Men of Motown, saw their busy year wiped out in an instant when the pandemic hit the UK.
All large gatherings, including weddings, are banned, with restaurants, bars and venues also shut down for the foreseeable future.
But, instead of being bitter, the trio – Marlon De Goede, Edwin Du Plessis and Nathan Williams – decided to give something back with a free gig lined up at the Glynhill Hotel, in Renfrew, for later in the year.
Marlon lives in Renfrew with his wife Laura, who is also the band’s manager, and their sons Aiden, nine and Zac, seven.
Laura said: “We wanted to do something for the NHS staff to look forward to afterwards. It will be a free gig, like a party night.
“We are limited with numbers, but we want to celebrate with as many NHS staff as possible.
“We don’t have a date at the moment, but we hope it will be before the end of the year. We want to give something back.
“We’ve spoken to the owners of the Glynhill Hotel and told them we needed a venue to support the gig.
“They’ve supported us throughout our career and were happy to do this as well.
“When we revealed the gig, the announcement was viewed more than 13,000 times in the first night.
“We’ve also been contacted by a balloon display company that wants to help create something for the night as well, which is great.”
Southern Flavor has been growing in popularity over the years, but hit the big time with success on the BBC One show, All Together Now, last April.
Hosted by comedian Rob Beckett and featuring Spice Girl Geri Horner, the nailbiting final saw Southern Flavor narrowly lose out to Shellyann Evans.
The band has since made the most of its success, with Marlon, Edwin and Nathan all able to give up their day jobs and devote all their time to the band.
However, this has made the pandemic all the more heartbreaking for them.
Laura said: “Everything for the next three months has been cancelled or postponed.
“Everyone who had bookings, we’ve tried to accommodate all the brides and grooms who have to postpone their events to next year.
“Our year was shaping up to be very busy. We were going to be out every weekend.
“We were at a really great point.
“This is their main jobs now, which is what they’ve worked towards, and it’s totally wiped out all their hard work to get this far.
“But, obviously, it’s safety first.
“Marlon and I got married in South Africa in January and we were meant to have our Scottish reception in March.
“We decided to cancel it – that was before any of the lockdown happened.
“We just didn’t want to take the risk of passing anything on.”
Laura thanked everyone at the Glynhill Hotel for their support in hosting the gig, especially Alison and Ross.
More details on the gig will be announced on Southern Flavor’s Facebook page, facebook.com/menofmotownsouthernflavor/