Terry Hall is proudly Coventry born and bred – and he is making sure that other local artists get a chance to shine on the big stage during the four-day Home Sessions festival he is curating as part of UK City of Culture.
Home sessions will feature live music, DJ sets, film and spoken word staged in iconic city centre locations, running from Thursday 29 July to Sunday 1 August 2021.
Big-name acts include DJ and record producer Roni Size; rock band The Libertines and frontman Peter Doherty; country and electronic rock band Alabama 3; pop rock group The Lightning Seeds, and vintage synth enthusiasts Eccentronic Research Council featuring Maxine Peake performing 1612 Underture – a 12-chapter sound poem based of the mistreatment and memory of the Pendle Witches.
But giving home grown talent a chance to shine, has been a priority for Hall when planning the event which is part of UK City of Culture
He said: “I think it’s really important that there are locally-based artists that can perform here. It gives you the opportunity if you are an up-and-coming artist to play in front of a good-sized audience and that is something you don’t really get at that stage of your career.
“You can play in pubs which is great but to be able to perform to more people is really good for an up-and-coming artist.
“It is also important to recognise where you are from and to celebrate that – there is very little to celebrate at the moment, but that is one thing we can celebrate and be proud of. The importance of this city over the last 100 years has been massive, come and celebrate it.
“I’m delighted to offer a platform to the brilliant array of talent from Coventry. I know what it’s like being in a new band getting my music out there, so I’m hoping this is a chance to shine a light on some fantastic talent in the city.
“Coventry being UK City of Culture is really brilliant. It is about time because this city, as far as British culture goes, is a big thing, and it gets overlooked a lot like a lot of cities outside London.
“It is really important to recognise this city and the people who grew up here and what the people went through.
“To me, the old cathedral really sums it all up. All my family were here during the war and what they went through was incredible. Then after the war to start revitalising and building the new cathedral and the car industry coming back, it was great but then it slumped again. So now it is time to regenerate.”
Successful entrants were chosen by six panellists – Terry Hall and his creative producer Suzanne Bisset, singer/songwriter Peter Doherty, Strap Originals producer Jai Stanley, Letitia George, presenter of BBC CWR, and Sarah Morgan, director, Tin Music & Arts.
