Image: Stockton on Tees Borough Council
21st September, 11am to 4pm, Bridgwater Arts Centre. Free
Who wants to make a great big noise at carnival? A brand-new project to create a big band for the Somerset Carnival is kicking off with a workshop at Bridgwater Arts Centre.
The band is open to all wind, brass, and percussion players and will perform carnival music from around the world, especially New Orleans, Brazil, and the Caribbean, as well as Somerset-inspired tunes. After the workshop, the band will meet weekly on Thursday evenings at 7:30 and make its debut on 1st November, playing on Bridgwater Carnival Day.
Looking ahead, the band will take part in other carnivals next year and may join the larger carnival parades. It will also perform at public events such as Christmas light switch-ons, fairs, and festivals. Players are encouraged to bring their own ideas of what a carnival band should sound and look like. We also aim to support people who want to learn the skills needed to lead these kinds of bands.
The launch workshop will be led by three experienced local musicians: Tom Francombe (brass), Jo Meikle (drums), and Tim Hill (winds), a veteran street musician. Together, they play in the band Tongues of Fire and recently led a large street-band celebration at Stockton International Riverside Festival.
Bridgwater Carnival has always had live music. In the nineteenth century, local brass bands and Christie’s Minstrels performed, alongside groups like the “Penny Awful Band,” who played pots, pans, and whistles. For many years, marching bands were a big part of the parade, but this tradition is beginning to fade. Now, a new wave of carnival bands is emerging in the UK, inspired in part by Swiss “Gugge” carnival bands. Last year, the Bournemouth Carnival Band brought this spirit to Bridgwater.
This project is run by Sound of the Streets, a charity that brings towns, parks, and public spaces alive with the vibrant sounds of street music. It also inspires and supports children and young people to make music. Their bands, Tongues of Fire and The Sound of the Streets Band, have been performing at Bridgwater events for the last four years. This year, The Sound of the Streets Big Band will play before the main carnival parade.
The project is supported by funding from Arts Council England, Bridgwater Town Council, and Actiontrack’s Make Music Repeat.