Sing City Live feat. Sian Clarke + Tasha Dowd at Band on the Wall – POSTPONED

Brighter Sound’s regular Sing City Live is back with a bang in 2020! This instalment will be a showcase of new music written in response to the global climate emergency, and will feature artists from both Sing City and Playing For Time.

Sing City Live is a brilliant platform for Manchester’s up-and-coming musical talent. It draws on original material written by young musicians involved in Brighter Sound’s Sing City sessions, which are held each Wednesday at Band on the Wall. Led by a team of expert musicians and practitioners, these sessions give young musicians an opportunity to develop industry skills in a supportive environment, followed by the opportunity to showcase these skills live at public events.

Joining several Sing City musicians will be two young artists involved in Playing For Time, another great Brighter Sound project, which promotes the use of music as a vehicle to raise awareness about the climate emergency. In September 2019, the music charity commissioned spoken word artist Sian Clarke and actor-musician Tasha Dowd to write and perform original music that speaks to the burning climate issue. As part of their commission, Sian and Tasha have each received mentoring from industry experts, a budget of £200 and the opportunity to record their music professionally.

Now comes the culmination of the Playing For Time project: the live element. Both artists have learned a great deal during the commission process, and are now eager to prove their chops on the Band on the Wall stage. From Sian Clarke, we’re expecting a mixture of spoken word and classic songwriting – the 18-year-old Mancunian uses the best of both mediums to paint pictures of the world as she sees it. At Sing City Live, Sian says she’ll be encouraging people to zoom out from their own day-to-day lives and to regard climate change for what it is – a global emergency.

Liverpool-based Tasha Dowd will also be drawing on multidisciplinary talents; the 17-year-old songwriter, composer and actor-musician has created a piece that sees music and theatre collide. Accompanied by physical movement in the form of a mime artist, her piece will feature instruments from around the globe (including timpani, electric bass, banjo, violin and sitar) – a shrewd way of reflecting the universality of the climate crisis.

Both artists are equally passionate about creating music and creating a better world, and we look forward to seeing these twin passions on full display at Band on the Wall this March.