Street Band Day in Bridgwater
The Sound of the Streets brings Bridgwater to joyful musical life on Sunday October 29th, with some great street bands along with glorious food and the chance to join in the musical fun.
The Sound of the Streets is all about public joy and participation and wants to get people dancing and singing. The day is part of the Animating Bridgwater project, and is run by the Sound of the Streets working with Bridgwater Independent Market. With food, music, drinks, dancing and singing, there will be something for everyone – a touch of Halloween spice and the chance to party before the Carnival weekend. The bands will be playing on Cornhill at the top of Fore Street.
Animating Bridgwater is the event element of the Government funded Bridgwater Town Deal Celebration Mile project which sees Bridgwater assets regenerated. Event organisers have received money for creative activities and performances to entice visitors into the town and bring a sense of pride for residents.
With an amazing range of music, from street funk, brassy pop covers, gospel, samba and traditional English sounds, the day features 2 great bands.
Ilu Axé, a dynamic group of women Samba-Reggae drummers, based in Bristol UK and Marseille France, Ilu Axé are always imaginative, vibrant, inclusive and empowering. Tongues of Fire are an 8 piece band, based in the South West, blowing up a musical storm of brass, reeds and percussion. Making a joyful noise for dancing, dreaming and celebration the band play in the landscape, on streets, on stages, in clubs and village halls and lead processions and parades. They draw on traditions of funky marching bands, village, church and circus bands, to make a cosmic carnival of rich, wild and unique sounds.
“They fire up an unholy modal roustabout of a party. Blindingly good. 5/5”- International DJ Magazine.
Street bands are one of the musical wonders of the world, the sound of celebration from South Africa to Delhi, to Nepal, New Orleans to Durham.
The Sound of the Streets is a charity promoting street bands and street music and supporting young people to play this inspiring music. They have a youth band, called The Sound Invaders -, open to all young musicians, run primary school bands and lead education projects. The group’s artistic director is local musician Tim Hill, a veteran of the UK’s street band scene.
Tim says: “This music is all about musical joy, coming together and celebrating ourselves. It is a music for everyone and full of ways to join in, play, dance and sing”. Sound of the Streets recently ran an education weekend and a festival weekend in Taunton and are planning to extend their activities to Bridgwater, to run youth bands and drum groups. If you are interested contact: [email protected]
The day is part of Bridgwater Town Deal and funded by HM Government through Somerset Council and Arts Council England
