a festival first established in France as “Fête de la Musique” in 1982, is a free celebration of music taking place all over the world, in all venues, for all participants and onlookers. The first festivals were played from local parks, street corners, gardens – even from shop fronts and rooftops – this celebration of music and its makers is now a national holiday, that can only be experienced every 21st June. This year, Manchester Central Library took part in showcasing the unique sounds of several participants in this worldwide celebrated festival. From school choirs to hard-edge rockers, soulful songbirds and upcoming grime artists, giving just a small insight into what music is being made today and what might be to come.
In true spirit of bringing all musical abilities together to collaborate, we were joined by Öli and the two Richards, just a few regulars from a local, weekly Jam Session hosted at our very own Henry Watson Music library. Mixing electric and acoustic guitars to create raw and earthy sounds, blending together in a single, extended set that generates the kind of atmosphere most often felt in a motion picture set on some dark and desolate back-road in America. Continuing in a solo set, bass and vocal artist Öli returned to switch things up, beginning with a solely electric based rendition of Robert Cray’s “Time Makes Two of Us”, once again leaning into darker and grittier tones.
In a more upbeat set we met folk duo, “Sons of Twins”, supported by their mothers proudly boasting printed t-shirts promoting their sons. Their set of four songs, featuring humbly vocalised harmonies with unflinching yet modest lyrics, presented with a great blend of acoustic guitar, keyboard and single vocals, made for a highly easy-going and enjoyable audience experience. Relaxing back into earlier jazz vibes, from the aptly named “Neil C. Young Jazz Band”, was a wonderful treat of sublime, seamless and effortless collaboration between the three band members. A far cry from the perhaps unfair, collective belief that jazz is nothing more than background music, this set didn’t fade into the background in the slightest, instead allowing the audience to sit back, recharge and enjoy a crafted and polished performance.
Next we heard from singer-songwriter Martha Pryer, a solo artist accompanied with nothing but the soft beat of a backing track, unashamedly stilling the room into stunned silence – even in a library. Modest in her standing and in her manner, her vocals still achieved richness of soul and powerhouse levels of strength, even while remaining completely effortless, flowing against crushing lyrics about heartbreak, self-observation and bittersweet goodbyes. Her vocal power inescapably conjuring thoughts of singular voices such as Adele and Paloma Faith.
Then we met Tom Poggi, accompanied by two guests supplying instrumental guitar and accompanying vocals to complete a flawless experience of beautiful acoustic sounds. Perfectly arranged songs perfectly paired between each support act, created an infectiously enjoyable set made even more so by the pure joy of sharing his music so clear throughout his performance. The artful structure of his music creating vibes of Ben Howard and Hozier, pairing atmospheric and honest storytelling, with a distinctive sound able to transport you beyond the space of a single room.
Lastly, and by no means least, we saw home-grown rapper and grime artist T-Bone 92K bringing our day of incredible music to a close. Oozing personality from the off, T-Bone won over the crowd with his natural style and easy interaction with the audience both during and in-between sets. A quality most professional performers strive for. Rallying the crowd with catchy and interactive lyrics for one last celebration of what makes ‘Make Music Day’ the long-standing global event that’s been going strong for almost four decades.
