An album created by over 30 Coventry creatives in lockdown is set to premiere tonight.
The new ‘visual album’ is a collaboration between musicians and artists, commissioned by Coventry City of Culture Trust in April.
The album – entitled Front Room Sessions – will be streamed on Facebook at 5pm tonight, July 17.
Musicians, visual artists, producers and film makers from the city were involved in the project that was created in lockdown.
The album was recorded in adherence to social distancing guidelines, with expert sound technicians recording remotely at each musician’s home, before visual artists responded. The album features original songs and visual art by 32 creatives from the city.
The music brings together a diverse range of people to showcase local talent and the diversity of the city. Genres include alt-pop, indie rock, dance hall and electronica – painting a picture of the City of Culture 2021.
Filmmaker Emilia Moniszka, from Blunt & Brave, captured the entire process on film, with a 15-minute behind-the-scenes documentary expected to be released Tuesday, July 21.
The project was delivered in partnership with Warwick Arts Centre, The Tin Music & Arts, Coventry Caribbean Centre, The Empire, Coventry City Council, BBC CWR, Coventry Music, Sam McNulty and Hardish Virk. Chenine Bhathena, creative director of the Coventry City of Culture Trust, said: “Throughout this difficult period we have continued to commission new work which is vital to the sector in our region.
“Front Room Sessions is one of those commissions and, over the past few weeks, has developed into an incredible documentation of these unprecedented times through music and art.
“Coventry is a music city – a city which has always confronted adversity with creativity. Whether it’s 2Tone fusing Reggae and Punk to battle racism or the wave of recent Grime artists tackling social inequality, our international community of musicians have found innovative ways to move and change us.
“From the musicians and the sound production, to the video teasers and behind the scenes documentary, this piece of lockdown history was created by Coventry.
“We really hope the people of the city and beyond enjoy the album, which shows the incredible range of creativity coming out of Coventry during lockdown.”
The socially distanced collaborative album is available on Spotify, YouTube and iTunes and aims to support Coventry venues, artists and technicians.
Candid, one of the bands featured on the album, said: “We’re hugely excited to be a part of such an innovative and special project for the city.
“The quality of work shown from everyone involved has been massively inspiring, highlighting how during a time of adversity we’re able to come together and create something great.
“We can’t wait for you to hear our track April, which encapsulates a lot of the feelings we all went through during the difficult lockdown period.”
Michelle Bailey-Le Long, a visual artist who has created one of the videos, added: “Working on this project during the lockdown allowed me to create in a different way and actually gave me more freedom to experiment with my creativity in ways that I wouldn’t have considered before.
“It encouraged me to be innovative and work with my limitations rather than against them. I was excited to work on the project because it was a positive challenge in difficult times and I really liked how it connected Coventry’s creative community together during a time of isolation.”
Tune in to the premiere of Front Room Sessions on Friday, July 17 at 5pm by visiting https://www.facebook.com/events/289868409021690
Musical Acts
- Danny Ansell
- Candid
- The Sessions
- Nicky Ager
- Ace Ambrose
- Curtis Liburd
- Daddy Woody
- DeeLayDee
- Bella Deanie
- Silinder Pardesi
- Danniella Evans
- ROSSO
- Batsch
- Abz Winter
- Attrition
- YNES, aka, Kira Riess
Visual Artists
- Bogdan
- Greg McLeod
- InDeepEnd
- Huw Bowen
- Cameron Cox
- Rajesh Lal
- Nikki Marie
- Tom Chimiak
- Dean Eastment
- Sherrie Edgar
- Alice Weston
- Michelle Bailey
- Josh Leach
- Edie Murray
- Polly Mooney
- Rosa Francesca
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Documentary Filmmaker
Production Team
- Ben Pickering
- James Plester
- Tom James
- I’m Not A Machine
