The influences of Clean Bandit — GRAMMY-winning hitmakers and hybrid classical/electronic superproducers — vary wildly from Johann Sebastian Bach to Craig David.
But as long-time champions of social justice and the values of global citizenship, their wider interests are perhaps more consistent.
From intensive general election campaigning to joining Band Aid 30’s mission against the spread of Ebola in Ethiopia; from shows raising money to help people experiencing homelessness to supporting charities dedicated to music therapy for the vulnerable; Clean Bandit have spent years raising their voice to empower others.
And now, bandmates Grace Chatto, Jack Patterson, and Luke Patterson are partnering with Global Citizen to present “House Party Against Hunger” — an all-day virtual rave featuring DJs across five continents to drive action to tackle world hunger, with a chance to meet Clean Bandit (virtually) too!
Clean Bandit and Global Citizen’s “House Party Against Hunger” will stream live from the band’s YouTube channel on Saturday August 8, from 7 a.m. ET / 12 p.m. BST / 1 p.m. CET until midnight BST. It follows a series of six digital shows the band has broadcast since April 6, with artists including Anne Marie and Zara Larsson.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 690 million people were uncertain where their next meal would come from; while 132 million people lived with acute hunger, meaning that they’re approaching starvation. But the economic devastation caused by COVID-19 has meant experts have warned that this could double to 265 million in 2020 alone.
The world is off track to achieve the UN’s Global Goal 2 to end hunger by 2030. Indeed, global hunger has been rising again in recent years: last year 2 billion people lacked regular access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food. And since the pandemic has shut down schools worldwide, more than 320 million children, many from poor families, are missing out on free school meals too.
Presenting... #CleanBanditxGlobalCitizen: House Party Against Hunger — an all-day rave on Aug. 8 to fight starvation! 🎧🔥🎈
— Global Citizen UK (@GlblCtznUK) July 30, 2020
Sign our petition with @CleanBandit to protect vulnerable people from food crises, and earn a chance to meet the band: https://t.co/pslodjzA0t. pic.twitter.com/shmtiIuKd9
The “House Party Against Hunger” will call on fans to support the Global Citizen campaign that urges world leaders to do more to scale up the fight against hunger.
We’re not asking for donations — instead, we’re asking for action to apply political pressure to global changemakers. Here’s how: by adding your voice to our petition, and sending a tweet to world leaders.
And did we mention that action-takers would be in with a chance of meeting the band too? Everybody that takes action for the campaign will be entered into a draw — and the winner of that draw will earn themselves a virtual meet and greet to hang out with Clean Bandit.
Actions taken in support of the campaign call on wealthy governments to support organisations like the United Nations’ International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) — an agency that, among many other things, supports farmers in developing countries to keep their communities food secure.
IFAD understands how small-scale farmers can play a critical role in food production. But the farmers struggle to produce enough food because of a lack of access to land, resources, information, and markets — a challenge exacerbated by lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19, and alleviated by IFAD’s vital work.
Take Action: Sign This Petition to Earn a Chance to Meet Clean Bandit!
Already, we have seen some tremendous impact from the campaign. After 35,000 Global Citizens signed our petition calling on leaders to invest in agriculture, Canada stepped up in June with a commitment worth millions for IFAD — to help ensure that COVID-19 doesn’t escalate into an even bigger humanitarian disaster.
And next, we want to keep this momentum going by sending a barrage of tweets to government international development departments in Sweden, Norway, Germany, and Ireland, from activists all over the world.
So get ready to make some serious noise.
"We couldn't be more excited to partner with Global Citizen on House Party Against Hunger,” Clean Bandit told Global Citizen. “It's never been more important to take action to empower the world's most vulnerable people, especially those from rural and remote communities.”
“Before the COVID-19 pandemic, one in nine people were hungry or undernourished globally, with 132 million people approaching starvation,” the band continued. “But the economic impacts of the virus means that could double to 265 million before the end of the year."
"The world desperately needs more empathy,” Clean Bandit added. “That's why we're backing Global Citizen's campaign calling on world leaders to do more in the fight against hunger — and urging our fans looking forward to our all-day house party on August 8 to head to their social action platform and support the campaign too. It's not about donating money. It's about raising your voice."
Despite high-profile duets with the likes of Jess Glynne and Anne-Marie, the band have a history of collaborating with stars before they’ve caught their big break. When they curated electronic music nights at university, James Blake was among the artists they booked — and if you look closely at their 2014 debut album New Eyes, you just about make out the name of Lizzo scribbled next to the record’s title track.
And the all-day rave carries on exactly in that vein — it kicks off in London from 12 p.m. BST with a back-to-back set from Clean Bandit and breakthrough house sensation Joel Corry — the British DJ behind the current UK #1 hit “Head & Heart” featuring MNEK.
Then every hour, we’ll beam in a session from another international DJ in a different country, hitting as many different sunsets as possible, travelling across Europe, Australia, Latin America, Asia, and North America.
Here’s the full “House Party Against Hunger”lineup:
Clean Bandit B2B Joel Curry // UK
Aston Shuffle // Australia
Ksuke // Japan
Hotel Garuda // India
Imanbek // Kazakhstan
Cream Soda // Russia
Ofenbach // France
Topic // Germany
Martin Jensen // Denmark
DubDogz // Brazil
Sofi Tukker // US
Clean Bandit — and a very special guest // Latin America
Clean Bandit x Global Citizen: House Party Against Hunger on August 8 will call on world leaders to step up to stop the COVID-19 crisis becoming a food crisis too. Join the campaign before the event by taking action here — and you could earn a meet and greet with the band.