ISSUED BY HISTORIC ENGLAND:
North Shields has been unofficially ‘twinned’ with Lancaster by Historic England and Newcastle-based company Unfolding Theatre as part of a national cultural programme celebrating our historic high streets.
Released from today (9 September), High Street Duets is a series of new songs inspired by North Shields and Lancaster's high streets and local communities, commissioned by Historic England and produced by Unfolding Theatre.
They have been written by North East-based songwriter Beccy Owen and writer Daniel Bye, who together with Unfolding Theatre's Associate Artist Alex Elliott, collected stories from local people about their towns.
Four new songs
The four songs - written in different musical styles - reflect the range of views and emotions that people within the local communities shared with Beccy and Daniel. The songs will be released one by one over the next four days here and can also be accessed through QR codes displayed on signage in shops and other businesses around North Shields.
The first song, released today (9 September), is New Planet City (mp3 attached), a slice of upbeat electronica about the kind of future we want to build, and how that relates to the past. This will be followed by the soulful Sunken Boat (released 10 Sept), and What do People Want? (11 Sept), a punky protest anthem bringing together a gathering of contradictory voices. The quartet of compositions is rounded off with Shipping, a folk song about traveling to the past and future on waves of time (12 Sept).
Get involved – Pop-up choir, Saturday 11 September
Beccy Owen will be premiering Duets live on Saturday 11 September in North Shields and is inviting the public to join her in performing the songs as part of a pop-up choir. Participants are invited to join Beccy at The Exchange in North Shields between 11.30am and 1pm where they will rehearse a selection of the songs before performing them live at 1pm at Bedford Street and again at 2pm outside the Old Low Light. Each performance will last approximately 15 minutes. No previous experience or perceived musical ability is necessary. To join the Beccy Owen’s Pop-Up Choir, visit https://www.unfoldingtheatre.co.uk/high-street-duets.
Ellen Harrison, Head of Creative Programmes and Campaigns at Historic England, said: “Each song in High Street Duets is very different but all are equally brilliant. The voices of the communities are clearly heard through the songs so it’s both fantastic and fitting that local people will get opportunity to help premier the songs in North Shields.”
Beccy Owen, songwriter, said: "It's been a wonderful thing to use songwriting to explore the ways in which people’s memories and experiences are embedded in the very walls and streets of where we live. It's been a unique experience to work with Dan on these songs, and I am excited to see what the people of North Shields think when they hear them."
Annie Rigby, Artistic Director of Unfolding Theatre, said: “At Unfolding Theatre we love to collaborate and create connections, so working with local communities in North Shields and Lancaster to celebrate their local town centres in song was right up our street, if you’ll forgive the pun!”
Cllr Carl Johnson, Deputy Mayor of North Tyneside, said: “Culture and heritage is at the heart of our ambitious plans to revitalise North Shields. That’s why these fantastic musical works performed by amazingly talented local artists are really exciting and set the context of what we are working to achieve in the town in a creative way to a wider audience. I would urge everyone to take a listen and join the pop-up choir if you can.”
High Street Duets is a nationally commissioned project by Historic England to support the North Shields High Street Heritage Action Zone, a four-year programme run in partnership with North Tyneside Council, which aims to make the high street a more attractive place for communities to live, work and enjoy leisure activities.
It is one of six Twin Towns commissions that are part of the High Streets Heritage Action Zones’ Cultural Programme, led by Historic England, in partnership with Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Cultural Programme aims to make our high streets more engaging and vibrant places.
