An animated music walk is being created in Birkenhead, featuring newly commissioned compositions from some of the town’s iconic musical talent, including Andy McCluskey from OMD, Louisa Roach of She Drew the Gun, Matthew Barnes of Forest Swords, musician and composer Andrew PM Hunt, musician and producer Nigel Blackwell from Half Man Half Biscuit and singer and songwriter Bill Ryder-Jones.
The animated music walk is the result of a collaboration between music and place. Each of the artists has been twinned with a location in the town’s centre. The piece of music they have created is inspired by that place’s sounds, history, people and heritage. From the banks of the River Mersey to the imposing Ventilation Tower, the historic Priory or Argyle Street, visitors will be able to walk the route and access the new compositions at each site via their smartphone. Each composition is only available on the walk.
Craig Pennington, founder of Future Yard, says;
Andy McCluskey of OMD says;“It’s a fascinating and interesting concept for Birkenhead and as a Wirral boy born and bred I am delighted to be a part of the Leftbank Soundtrack. My first bass guitar was bought from Park Selling services over 45 years ago. Perhaps this is me coming full circle?” The Ventilation Tower is an iconic building hard against the Mersey and it’s a really exciting challenge to create a musical piece for it. I stood next to the Tower doors in early July and recorded the sound of the wind whistling through them. These recordings became my inspiration and bed track for the music. For those who are curious. The Tower whistles in the key of A.”
Louisa Roach is from She Drew the Gun and says; “I’m really happy to be adding a song to the Leftbank Soundtrack. Birkenhead is a big part of me, all my family are from here, it’s one of the places I spent a lot of time growing up, and I’m getting married here in September. It’s good to see some new creative things happening in the area, we’ve got a connection to Future Yard as well, being the first band that played here so it’s nice to be doing a song based around the venue.”
Bill Ryder-Jones says;
Cllr Tony Jones, chair of Wirral Council’s Economy, Regeneration and Development Committee, says;
The Leftbank Soundtrack Locations
Woodside Ferry Terminal | Artist Bill Ryder-Jones
Birkenhead Central | Artist Andrew PM Hunt
READ MORE: https://futureyard.org
