Hear it, Play it, Sing it, What's on

The Sound of the Streets Festival

Posted on by Gayle Smith

When: July 8th /9th/10th 2022Where: Taunton

The Sound of the Streets brings Taunton’s streets and public spaces to life with a three-day festival of street bands and outdoor music. The festival features some of the UK’s leading bands plus a wide variety of local bands and community bands from around the country. Central to ‘the festival are ideas of participation and communal celebration, of giving people opportunities to enjoy live music, to dance, make music themselves and sing. Free and accessible, the Sound of the Street’ this year has a focus on education and young people. After the restrictions and limitations of the Covid lockdowns the town needs public joy and celebration, and it is vital economically and culturally to bring the town back to life. The Sound of the Streets has been made possible by a Grants for the Arts award from the Arts Council, but we need to raise more support to enable the festival to happen.The festival will have ‘stages’ in Castle Green and the High Street and a marquee in Goodland’s Gardens. Over the weekend we will be performing to over 10,000 people, run workshops and have opportunities for people to make music and sing. Our education programme will be working with local Primary Schools on a parade, creating a Taunton Youth Street Band, performing in schools and running a CPD for teachers. We are also creating a website, podcasts and films.The project will raise the towns cultural profile in the Southwest, nationally and internationally. There is no other festival of street music in the South of England, although such festivals exist all over Europe. This the second year of the festival, and we are already planning for festivals in 2023 and 24, growing the festival to become a major arts event. The festival is organised by veteran street musician Tim Hill and The Sound of the Streets, a non-profit organisation. The festival is also working with Taunton Independent Market.

Street bands are one of the musical wonders of the world, making a joyful noise from the Balkans to New Orleans and from Durham to Delhi. They are a great community resource, making music that is accessible and life affirming.
 

The Bollywood Brass Band

The Kinetika Bloco

Street bands are one of the musical wonders of the world, making a joyful noise from the Balkans to New Orleans and from Durham to Delhi. They are a great community resource, making music that is accessible and life affirming.

Featured bands some of the country’s leading bands, including the Bollywood Brass band, The Riot Jazz Brass Band, The Kinetika Bloco and the Young Pilgrims.The festival has a resident band Tongues of Fire, who will open the festival, play outreach concerts, lead mass singing and a procession.

Many local bands will be playing, like the Wiveliscombe Town Band and the Kingsbury Episcopi Band, as well as Taunton’s own street band, The Big Noise, and the Exeter Street Band. The Backdown Samba Band and Frome Street Bandits. You will hear Pete Moser’s Sgt Pepper’s Lonely One-Man Band and community bands groups from around the UK, like Blast Furness from Cumbria and Oxford’s the Horns of Plenty.Partners and supporters include Taunton and West Somerset Council, Seed Sedgemoor, John Packers Ltd, Take Art, Hickleys Ltd, The Museum of Somerset, Somerset Music, The Southwest Heritage Trust, Richard Huish College, Sound Foundation Somerset, Guildhall Young Artists Taunton, Taunton Academy School, Castle School, and Fuse Performance Co.
The Sound of the Streets Festival 2021 Film
For more information contact: tim@thesoundofthestreets.com
Gayle Smith