RIVAL clubs and pubs across the city have joined forces for a common cause to raise money for potentially life-saving cancer treatment for Delays’ frontman Greg Gilbert. 

The first gig in aid of the Southampton star was held at The Joiner’s, in St Mary Street, raising a whopping £2,000.

Now other venues are joining suit to rally the support of the city. 

An event featuring PDS Band, Goldrush, Sunflower, The Stevie John Band and The Vinyl Beat will be held at The Concorde Club, in Stoneham Lane, Eastleigh, next Tuesday, January 17.

Tickets are £7 and will be available on the door which will open at 7pm for an 8.15pm start.

A gig will also be held at The Brook, in Portswood Road, on February 14 tying in with Delays’ single Valentines. 

Among those playing at playing at the event will be Sean Mcgowan, The Novatones, Bird Pen, Dead Rabbit and Band of Skulls DJs. Tickets are £10 and the doors will open at 7pm ready for an 8pm start.

Dylan Clarke, one of the owners at The Brook, said they were hoping to raise around £5,000 from the gig to donate to Greg’s cause.

He added Delays used to perform at The Brook quite a lot so he had become quite good friends with them over the years.

“Even though his Go Fund Me page has done really well they have found out it will only pay for one treatment,” he said.

“All the rival music venues are doing gigs for the same cause and working together for the right goal. The Southampton music scene can be very lovely when everyone pulls together.”

A big ‘Cavalry’ event will also be held on June 17 at the 1865, in Brunswick Square, Southampton by Ed Warren - who used to be a lighting engineer for Delays at the start of his career. 

Included in the line-up are Band of Skulls, Mystery Jets, The Diamond Age, Sam Duckworth formally of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly and Thomas Tantrum - which will be reforming for night only.

Delays will also be performing with Primal Scream’s bass player, although it will be without Greg. More big acts have yet to be confirmed but will be shortly. Tickets are £30 and will go on sale next week.

Ed has also organised a silent online auction to link in with the event and has contacted music bosses across the globe for donations. 

Among the items to be sold off will be a Franz Ferdinand drum kit and a signed Scouting for Girls guitar as well as other merchandise and items from the likes of Coldplay, The Vaccines and Mumford and Sons. 

Greg’s partner Stacey Heale said family, friends and people they did not even know were doing their bit by holding auctions in their homes, arranging to do sponsored marathons and even holding quizzes at local community centres.

She added she could not thank them all enough and her and Greg were completely overwhelmed by the amount of support the city had shown them.

Southampton FC have also donated signed shirts and merchandise to be auctioned off along with countless businesses and restaurants in the city.

“It is heart-warming and humbling that two people can feel so much energy coming from the city from people,” Stacey said.

“Everyone is just coming together from communities across Southampton. It feels like the whole city is supporting us.”

Stacey launched a fundraising campaign for the Southampton rockstar in December after the pair were told the father-of-two had stage four bowel cancer and secondary lung cancer and surgeons could not help him. 

Since they Stacey has been trying to raise as much money as possible for a new drug, not available on the NHS, as it may give Greg his only chance to see his two baby daughters grow up. 

Initially they set a fundraising target of £100,000 but after smashing it in a matter of days thanks to more than 5,000 friends and fans across the world, including big stars such as Ellie Goulding and Craig David, they discovered the money would only pay for one dose of the life-saving drug. So far they have raised more than £143,000.