Doing good with soup (and cake)

THE SOUP OF HUMAN KINDNESS

Edinburgh Soup isn't a recipe, but a charity fund raising event.  Last night we went along to the fourth such occasion, although a first for us.  It's an unusual and intriguing format, based upon a idea which sprang up in Detroit, USA.  Get a bunch of people, businesses and music acts to donate their time/food/talent, charge people to attend, and have a form of competition which decides which of the charity projects there on the night will walk away with the takings from the door and other donations.

There was a good sized crowd in the converted church that is the Assembly Roxy, a great venue for music.  And a young crowd too (or perhaps just younger than I'm used to being a part of!).  Having booked a place online you paid at the door, found yourself a seat then joined the queue for some soup and bread.  A choice of two excellent concoctions from the Union of Genius on Forrest Road and chunks of wheaty enjoyment from the Wee Boulangerie on Clerk Street.  (Given their kindness in donating to feed so many mouths it would be churlish not to give them a plug.)  Later there would be cake, with four very different alternatives provided, from All About Patisserie who appear sell their wares at various market venues.  There was an honesty box by the cake, pay what you can afford kind of thing, but otherwise this was all covered in the entrance price.

And then there was the music.  First up was Sanna, a four piece pop outfit with fiddle, cello and clarinet.  The songs were uninspiring, but the singer had a decent voice, even if almost the only words he'd utter between numbers were "cheers folks".

Then there was the rapper Conscious Route.  My comfort zone seemed a long way off.  I have seen one rapper before, but that was delivered in Scots vernacular so there was something for me to link into.  But this was alien to anything I'm used to, and it's hard to make judgements when you have no real reference points.  Was he good at what he did?  I guess so.  Despite not having much of a clue about the content of his lyrics, I found myself enjoying the performance more as it went on, as the beat started to seep into my body and the rhythm of the singing style began to make more sense.  Plus this guy had a certain style about him, a stage presence which the previous band had totally lacked.  He was funny, informative and genuine communicator, passionate about what he was doing, and good to watch in action.  I doubt I'll be rushing to buy a CD, but if he crossed my path again I'd certainly give him a listen.

Finally the act that had brought us here in the first place.  The Jellyman's Daughter, who we last saw at this same venue, are a superb duo with a unique sound courtesy of Graham Coe's astonishing cello playing, while Emily Kelly's vocals sound even bluesier than before.  Great stuff.

In between those final two acts we had four five minute presentations, each from a representative of a local charity project, each of whom hoped to take away the proceeds from the evening to fund their work.  Each gave us an insight into what they did, who benefited, and what they needed the money for.  Then we, the audience, were asked to cast a vote for the one we considered most deserving.  The result was announced at the end of the night, with Garvald Edinburgh narrowly winning the ballot.  They help people with learning disabilities to repair equipment, much of which then ends up helping some of the poorest people in other countries.  The example given was of a guy in his twenties who repaired an old pedal operated sewing machine, which was then sent to a destitute woman in Malawi.  The Edinburgh man acquires a useful skill, and has the satisfaction of knowing that the outcome of his efforts goes to providing someone else with a better life.  The new owner of the sewing machine is able to support he family through her work, instead of having to beg.  It was the double benefit aspect of this project that won it my vote, but all of the the others were very worthy and extremely interesting as well.  I talked to the man from the Edinburgh Tool Library and now know where to take the excessive number of files and chisels and the like that seem to be sitting in various boxes.

Entertainment, good food, some educational moments and a sense of having been part of something worthwhile.  And all for a fiver.  I'll be looking out for the next Edinburgh Soup.