Tragic Sheffield ‘super-spreader’ gig in March 2020 left one dead and two in intensive care

A ‘super spreader’ gig in Sheffield, which left one person dead and two in intensive care, has inspired a new song taking aim at Covid deniers.
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The Cathedral Birds, made up of vocalist Rick Baines and pianist Brandon Petty, performed to around 100 people on March 13 last year, just days before England entered its first national lockdown.

Rick said that out of around 30 people he knew personally at the gig, which was the duo’s first live show, he was among at least 25 who developed coronavirus symptoms in the following days.

Rick Baines and Brandon Petty performing as the Cathedral Birds (pic: Martin Clark)Rick Baines and Brandon Petty performing as the Cathedral Birds (pic: Martin Clark)
Rick Baines and Brandon Petty performing as the Cathedral Birds (pic: Martin Clark)
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One person sadly died, Brandon got pneumonia and suffered a mini-stroke, and Graham Rodgers, the guitarist with Calico Fever, who were also playing that night, ended up spending six months in intensive care battling coronavirus.

Having experienced first-hand the devastating impact of the pandemic, Rick was horrified by the number of friends and fellow artists who continued to spread dangerous conspiracy theories online about Covid-19 as the death toll mounted.

Nearly a year later, he and Brandon, whose musical influences include Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits, have produced a song hitting back at the Covid deniers and taking a swipe at the Government’s response to the global health emergency.

“The cynics share the conspiracy theories, they say it's a hoax and a lie,” read the lyrics to The Other Side.

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“There's a place for the stupid, the weak and the weary when we meet on the other side.”

Rick, who asked us not to mention the location of that fateful gig because he said it had done nothing wrong and venues have ‘suffered enough’ over the last 12 months, described how the new track came about.

"We considered cancelling the gig but we were reassured that it would be safe to go ahead by how low the numbers were in Sheffield at that time,” said the 57-year-old who lives in Hunters Bar and works in the music industry, booking bands for weddings and other occasions before the pandemic hit.

"After that night, one by one we all started coming down with Covid symptoms.

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"Brandon, who’s a super-fit tennis and squash player, got it quite badly and still has some long Covid symptoms.

"One lady ended up in intensive care for about two weeks, Graham was in the ICU for a lot longer, and another chap, a really lovely guy who is missed by us all, sadly died maybe a week later.

“Most of the people we knew at the gig were in their 50s like Brandon and me so they weren’t young but they weren’t particularly old either.

"Even 12 months later and with all the terrible things that have happened since, there are still people I know personally who refuse to accept the awful truth and post messages on social media denying Covid exists or linking it to conspiracy theories.

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“True stories like ours about that super-spreader gig are perhaps the only way of combating those dangerous conspiracy theories.

"The song was an easy one to write because it came from a place of anger. I don’t think songs change the world, and certainly not songs by a little hobby band in Sheffield, but for me it was something that had to be said.”

To listen to The Other Side, visit: https://open.spotify.com/track/5RXWaAzvcYdXzzftoPA4Y3.