User:OzBayldon

Oz Bayldon is an extreme musician, philanthorpist, festival organiser and multi award winning venue operator. Oz was born in 1971 in Huddersfield, England and moved to Noosa, Queensland, Australia at the age of 18 months old where he lived till he was 10 when he returned to the UK to live with his father for 3 years. He first discovered music at the age of 15 when he and some school friends made a band called the Blown Tops. Later he went on to form the group The Hidden which had a few years of success on the Sunshine Coast supporting artists like The Painters and Dockers, Gangagang, Riptides, Diesel and John Farnham.

In 1996 he returned to the UK and ended up in London where he started running and setting up pubs and venues like The Bedford in Balham, The Tabernacle in Notting Hill, POW which was The Prince and Dex in Brixton and the Soho Lounge in the West End of London which hosted a huge artist roster with names like Adele, Lily Allen, Mick Jones from the Clash, Alabama 3, Tim and Neil Finn, Pete Townsend, Lee Evans, Phil Jupiters, Al Murray to name a few. Oz was to go on to become one of the highest award winning venue operators in London winning a multitude of awards from the Best live music pub in Britain, Evening standard pub of the year twice in different venues, Best newcomer bar, South London hero award, Style magazine London bar of the year, Top 5 live music venues in South London alongside the Royal Festival Hall.

In 2001/2 Oz visited his family in Australia and caught up with an old musician colleague, Ian Farrington, who was now doing work in Nepal with an orphanage and he was organising an international music festival in Kathmandu. With the help of long time supporter Finlay Morton, who funded the first trip of musicians from London to Nepal, Oz went on a trip that would change his life forever. Walking the streets of Kathmandu he met a disabled child who had severely disfigured arms and legs and was begging. Oz picked him up and walked 30 metres, when he arrived at a shop he turned around to find over 30 children behind him. He fed them all for less than 30pounds and the journey had begun.

In 2004 Oz set up the charity Music4children (originally Nepal Balalaika Trust) and on another trip to Nepal to research how he could help, Ian Farrington suggested they beat the world record for the highest concert at base camp. Ian unfortunately became ill and later died and wasn't able to join Oz on his adventure. In September 2005, at his nightclub The Soho Lounge, Oz broke the world record for the longest performance of 44 hours non stop and in October Oz and a band of musicians and friends climbed to Kalapatthar, Everest to claim the world record for the highest concert and raised enough money to start building an orphanage in Dhulikhel around 40 minutes outside Kathmandu with the help of Nepalese charity Help Nepal.

In 2009 Oz opened a venue in Streatham, South London which had been closed for 2 years and opened a charity run venue in London on no budget, everything was donated or recycled and consisted of 28 rooms upstairs for homeless families, a live music venue and bar, converted a derelict barn into a dance studio and workshop space and a community radio station in the cellar. Workshops were delivered for free to the local youth in DJing, sound technology, Film and TV, Editing, Live sound engineering, bar, street dance, art, drama, instrument lessons, permaculture, jewellery making, radio presenting, stage management and event management. Oz was asked to speak in the House of Commons on educating children on no public purse and building an education centre with no budget, just passion and great community spirit. Music4children were then asked to Downing Street for reception with guests including Elle Macpherson who is the patron of Music4children.

IN 2012 Oz returned to the Himalaya's to reclaim his world record for the highest concert, sponsored by Sting, which was beaten in 2009 in Boliva. This time Oz and 10 musicians, Dj's, photographers and friends climbed to Mera Peak and reclaimed the record and making a new world record for the highest DJ set which wasn't officially recognised by the Guiness book of records.

In 2014 Oz moved back to Noosa, getting married on route in Las Vegas by Elvis and dressed as Elvis to Katherine Holme, to bring his children Neve and Huey up closer to his mother Jackie. Oz now works for Australia's biggest charity festival The Gympie Muster and set up Noosa Come Together festival, which funds people with disabilities to have access to sporting activities and Kathmandu Come Together. In October 2020 Oz plans to break the world record for the longest performance again while sailing down the Amazon- Amazon Come Together- for 65hours non stop. Other extreme events are the Craziest gig- gig on top of an air balloon, gig in freewill, gig when the shoot is pulled and land on stage and do a gig. The Plastic sea gig- in the Pacific Gyre on a boat made of rubbish found on the ocean, Coldest gig- Alaska, highest gig- Everest summit, Highest DJ gig in central Nepal and a few more world records.

Losten to Oz in this Podcast https://www.innoosamagazine.com.au/oz-bayldon-a-time-for-change/