In August 2013 Dylan Howel will be jetting off to Chile to teach English in a comprehensive secondary school for 12 months. As well as teaching he will be helping out with extra curricular activities such as guitar tuition and football coaching. Dylan will be staying with a host family within the community and this means adapting to the cultural as well as linguistic changes. In the eyes of the 17 year old August is long time away and he has been focusing on fundraising for this extraordinary trip – having to raise the £5400 in a matter of months is the first feat he has to conquer. One of these fundraising escapades took place in Galashiels on Saturday night. The “Lets Get Chile” band night was destined to be a great show with tickets selling out in 3 days and as the 80 strong crowd crammed into the tiny venue the atmosphere was electric. Starting off the night was local band The Shreddies who took to the stage to perform their renditions of classic hits from The White Stripes, The Fratellis and The Kaiser Chiefs as well as a few of their own numbers. The five-piece from Stow made the songs their own and the crowd really enjoyed their twist on the well-known anthems. As The Shreddies departed it was time for the main act The Weight. Made up of drummer Tenzin Stephens, guitarist Nick Murray and bassist Dylan Howel – who all share vocals – the band kicked of their set with an energetic rework of Jagger’s “Satisfaction“. With the crowd in the palm of their hand they jumped from track to track with great confidence. “Shake Your Money Maker” took everyone back to the 60s while The Black Key’s “Gold on the Ceiling” kept the contemporary flair alight. Welcoming Cameron Balfour to the stage to perform Tinie Tempa’s “Pass Out” as well as a funky slide guitar cover of grime legend Dizzee Rascal’s “Bonkers” really showed the versatility of the group in tackling Hip-Hop pieces. Conversely the band showed their true talent with softer covers with songs such as “When The Sun Goes Down” and “Don’t Look Back Into The Sun” reducing the crowd to a swaying sea of bodies. Ending the set on Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Joe” the band asserted their dominance with a solid performance throughout the whole body of songs. To keep the music going up next were local DJs Eddie Fell and Matthew Croan whose DJ set moved seamlessly through contemporary chart hits from FloRida to up and coming Dubstep connoisseurs Koan Sound. With the party in full swing there was nothing left to prove. Dylan closed the night with remarks thanking the talented performers and the charitable crowd for what was an exceedingly successful evening. Big thanks to Sound Out for P.A/lighting and Gregor Bell, Jack Smith and Jamie Hall for providing security. To get more information on Dylan and his fundraising go to www.facebook.com/DylanChileAdventure or donate on uk.virginmoneygiving.com/DylanChileAdventure.

By Viv on February 22, 2013