This week, Ctrl.Alt.Shift hit the streets of Sheffield to spread the good word of the movement, soak up all the youth activist freedom-fighting talent, whilst recruiting some of our own Ctrl.Alt.Shifters from the windy city.

Our street team began by prepping for and promoting Ctrl.Alt.Shift music showcase, Justice's Call; a global development awareness and injustice-combating night set up alongside Sheffield University's Open Space Society.

In and around our venue - the Fairtrade shop Coffee Revolution, in the heart of the university's student union - it came as a welcome surprise that many of the students we were signing up had already came across our project. Erin, a 23 year old engineering student coincidently took part in Ctrl.Alt.Shift's Newcastle hand mural earlier this year, and she was delighted to catch our red t-shirts roaming around her city: "It's so great to see you guys bring the cause to Sheffield." Jeremy, 18, an arts student who had a ticket to Ctrl.Alt.Shift's Sadlers Wells HIV-awareness dance show in London last year said: "There's a massive student population here that will thrive on the cool things this initiative is doing."

And, in the midst of flyering, one 25 year old Japanese student called Karla whispered in my ear that she had seen the Ctrl.Alt.Shift logo graffed on some tunnel walls around the city - evidently the ripple affect of the movement is making headway above and beyond my own expectations.

Onto the music show, with an immense line-up of Sheffield favourites, including rebel with a cause Sam Browse, giving an acoustic tribute to anti-fascism, anti-racism, "Love and Politics," and a quick shout out to Ctrl.Alt.Shift's work saying: "Much respect to these (Ctrl issue 3) magazines here on the tables, looking through, it's great to see such a celebration of women." The atmosphere was reminiscent of an old-school jazz café; chillaxed and serene with the strumming beat of Browse's guitar. 

During the interlude, Alex of African jazz band The Abalone Quartet stepped up to talk of his experiences with HIV projects in Malawi, aiding the people and battling stigma with a constant motto of: "Get up and go." Such an ethic he said is echoed by Ctrl.Alt.Shift, a movement he praised: "By coming to Sheffield, moving across the UK, and addressing the grass-roots with events like this, Ctrl.Alt.Shift are really rallying this next generation of opinionated and political by definition bunch of activists."

The bopping your head with lighters in your hand groove then recommenced with my personal highlight - as Alex and bandmates Rob, Victor and Laurie, just jammed away with little scent of a script, joined half-way through by a show-stopping improvisational bit of poetry on the mic by Ugandan actor Isaac Ssebandeke aka Mills of Dubplate Drama. After his three minutes on stage, he told me: "Ah man, I just had to do it. That music, that beat - it just felt so right."

As one and all stood and applauded the night's worth of music for the soul, those leaving dropped their compliments and requested even bigger, better and simply more Ctrl.Alt.Sheffield in the future. Such an ask is nothing short of which this movement plans to deliver for our supporters. Watch this space.

Words and photos: Dwain Lucktung. Assistant editor, Ctrl.Alt.Shift website.