Red Bus Londinium Life

---

Just For One Day at the Old Vic revisits the seminal Geldof fundraising concert of 1985, the events that led up to it and all that came after.

It is estimated that Live Aid was shown live in 150 countries and although I managed to live in one of the few places not showing it, we were all still well aware it was happening. A canny video store owner managed to get pirated copies (on Betamax no less!) over from London a few weeks later.

The concert brought a heady euphoria and, as I remember, a genuine belief that famine issues could be solved. Forty years later, and that idea alongside some of the lyrics of Geldof’s Band aid fundraiser (Would anyone now write, “Tonight thank God it’s them, instead of you”?) seem impossibly naïve and imperialistic.

It is always difficult to fairly look at yesterday’s behaviours with today’s lens and I was intrigued to see how the musical would cover these issues. I did feel that they were given due weight.

It was clear that, should Geldof and others start a similar fundraiser today, they would in no way approach it in the same manner. They would seek more guidance from African professionals involved and more Black people would be involved in the projects as well.

Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong playing her role on the ground in Ethiopia powerfully and eloquently cut down some of Geldof’s more idealistic solutions. Naomi Katiyo also provided a useful 2024 perspective.

But the musical also made clear, and I believe rightly so, that what they did was ground-breaking and came from a authentically heartfelt desire to help. It is worth recognising that the Band Aid Charitable Trust still exists with the same six unpaid trustees it had on day one. The concert may have passed but their engagement and support for poverty issues in Ethiopia and the surrounding areas has remained.

The next element that intrigued me was the music itself. How would the musical avoid becoming one long covers album? Here, I felt the approach to use many of the songs as ensemble numbers which drove the story along was inspired. The cast (including many alumni from &Juliet) were uniformly strong and listening what are some well trodden pieces felt exciting and new. For me, Jo Foster in particular stood out.

Perhaps the highlight though was a new rap battle composed by Bob Geldof and performed by the stage Geldof (Craige Els) and Margaret Thatcher (Julie Atherton).

Overall, I felt this was a thoughtful and hugely fun portrayal of those heady 1985 ideals.

Have others seen Just For One Day? What were your thoughts?