Gruff Rhys Shares New Track No Profit In Pain To Mark NHS Anniversary
Thursday, 05 July 2018
Written by Huw Baines
Gruff Rhys has shared a new song, No Profit in Pain.
The track was written for the National Theatre Wales’ NHS70 festival, which is celebrating the National Health Service’s 70th birthday, and all proceeds will go to NHS charities in Wales.
Rhys will perform No Profit in Pain at 11.30am at Cardiff Castle on July 5, while in a statement he said:
In most of my songs I mostly deal in lyrical abstraction, but as the NHS has had such a profound effect on every aspect of my life since birth, this was a commission that I felt duty bound to throw myself into out of respect for everything it’s given me.
The title ‘No profit in pain’ is an attempt to counter the mentality of ‘No Pain no gain’ and ‘tough love’ which keep being peddled about by zealous free marketeers. The NHS is something that we can too easily take for granted. But the NHS has been there for me throughout my life and has also saved many of my family members lives.
In that sense it means more than anything I could ever hope to convey in a melodramatic synth pop power ballad like this one, so for the song I’ve focused on the battle to keep the NHS as a free service in public ownership. There’s loads of swearing in it. Privatisation is creeping in and signifies a death knell for the NHS we all love and cherish if we are not vigilant.
As a devolved issue in Wales, and as an idea that was born here, the idea of a free health service for all is something that serves as a beacon of what we can achieve as a nation and is something we must pass on intact to future generations.
The song will be available on most streaming services and I’ll perform it today in Cardiff. A van has been hired to advertise the song. I researched hiring a brexit style red bus but it was too expensive, so in the end I just went for a repurposed bog standard home office style ‘go home’ scare vehicle.
We’ve only got it for 2 days, I’m using it for my performance today and designer and profound thinker, Mark James shot the video yesterday as we decorated it, ready for today’s release. Kliph Scurlock plays the drums and Llion Robertson produced it.
Rhys recently released 'Babelsberg' and will tour the UK and Ireland later this year.
Gruff Rhys Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows
Tue August 14 2018 - HEBDEN BRIDGE The Trades Club
Wed September 12 2018 - LONDON Barbican Centre
Sat September 15 2018 - MANCHESTER RNCM Concert Hall
Sun September 16 2018 - MANCHESTER RNCM Concert Hall
Thu November 08 2018 - PORTSMOUTH Wedgewood Rooms
Fri November 09 2018 - BRIGHTON Old Market
Sat November 10 2018 - FOLKESTONE Quarterhouse
Sun November 11 2018 - OXFORD O2 Academy Oxford
Mon November 12 2018 - BRISTOL SWX Bristol
Tue November 13 2018 - BIRMINGHAM Glee Club
Thu November 15 2018 - GLASGOW SWG3
Fri November 16 2018 - LEEDS Church
Sat November 17 2018 - LIVERPOOL Arts Club
Sat December 01 2018 - CORK St Lukes
Sun December 02 2018 - GALWAY Roisin Dubh
Mon December 03 2018 - DUBLIN Button Factory
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