Mathew Fest is a three day festival celebrating the life of my friend and former bandmate Mathew David Harvey.  It starts on Friday the 8th September.

As part of the festival, I'm taking part in a 4km run and also playing in the reformed band on the Sunday night.  I know 4km is not a long distance, but for someone like me who only runs when something big and dangerous is chasing me it's a serious challenge!  I'm looking for sponsors, with all donations going to the Samaritans.  My page is linked up to the Mathew Fest team page, and all donations will be pooled.

I first met Matt in August 2005.  I was living in an old detached school house (later to be christened the "School Of Rock" by Matt!) near Cwmbran, and was desperate to join a serious band.  I saw an ad for a rock drummer, and decided to respond.  The next day, two dodgy looking characters were on my doorstep - Mathew Harvey and his best friend (at the time I thought they were brothers) Craig Jenkins.  I took them into my music room, and Matt pointed to the drum kit and said "Come on then, Col - show us what you can do!"

I proceeded to hit seven shades of hell out of my kit - throwing in every chop and beat I could think of.  When I stopped, Matt and Craig threw each other a knowing grin before saying - "You're in!"

And so The Dead Zeds were born...  And I quickly became great friends with Matt and Craig.  We were driven and gigged and practiced every spare moment - playing classic venues like TJ's in Newport, and Clwb Ifor Bach and Barfly in Cardiff.  We recorded our demo in Stir Studios in the footsteps of the Manic Street Preachers.  It was some of the best years of my life.  The three of us had the same warped sense of humour, and I don't think I've ever laughed as much as we did.  Times on the road were endless nights of beer fueled hilarity, and Matt had one hell of a sense of humour...  You couldn't help but laugh in his company.

The Dead Zeds gave way to the Happy Hours - a covers band that would play anywhere and everywhere - even weddings.  We played with no backup systems - choosing instead to fly by the seat of our pants, and always managed to pull off a great show...  The three of us infusing popular covers with the skills we'd honed playing originals in the Dead Zeds...

Eventually other commitments took over, and the band dissolved.  We would still play together occasionally, but our lives moved in different directions and we all had other priorities.

It was with great sadness then, that on the 2nd December last year I had a message to ring Craig's brother urgently.  He told me Mathew was gone - a victim of the demons of depression...  Demons he had been fighting for so long.  It was devastating news - Matt had emailed me a few months earlier to ask if I'd like to play drums in his band.  I replied and asked him out for a few beers, but he never responded.  I wish I'd pushed harder for a response...

The turnout at Matt's funeral was testament to just how loved he was, and how many lives he had touched.  He was a wonderfully warm, funny, and caring person...  He loved music, and was an incredibly talented musician.  It was privilege to call him a friend, and to share a stage with him and I'll miss him forever.

All proceeds made from this weekend will be donated to The Samaritans.

The Samaritans is a registered charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in distress or struggling to cope with day to day
life. Everyone in emotional distress should feel confident that they have
access to the support services they need – you are not alone, talk to someone, they are there to help.

Thank you for taking time to read my story and your donation, however small is very much appreciated.

Colin