You’ll be spoilt for choice at this year’s Sensoria festival of film and music, that’s why we asked guest blogger and Sheffield music lover, Matthew Mella to give us his pick of the fest and a few particularly funky pointers:
As the 1902 State Landau carriage trundles Wills and Kate toward marital bliss, 29 April also sees Sensoria begin its ten-day programme of music, film and art in Sheffield. To mark this synchronisation with royal nuptials, the annual festival kicks off with a street party on Devonshire Street before spreading its mix of media to over a dozen venues. Sheffield’s offbeat and eclectic sensibilities provide a perfect atmosphere for Sensoria, which features everything from a disco in the Central Library to exhibitions of audio art. However, film and music – and especially their long love affair – are the festival’s central themes.
The main cinematic offerings are hosted by the Showroom. Films range from folk dance documentary Way of the Morris to a night of heavy metal films; from award-winning Egyptian drama Microphone to the rise and fall of glam rock icons in The Ballad of Mott the Hoople. Also showing is 1926 animation The Adventures of Prince Achmed with a new score from Sheffield’s own Abstract Film Orchestra. Elsewhere, Tudor Square becomes an outdoor cinema showing musicals and live performance films.
Much of the festival’s live music comes from local artists: In The Nursery and Sieben make a rare hometown appearance at the City Hall Ballroom; I Monster curate “Poyekhali!” at The Greystones, with music and film marking fifty years of manned spaceflight; The Washington hosts a free, three-day music festival featuring The Violet May, Death Rays of Ardilla and more; 65daysofstatic perform a live soundtrack to 1970s sci-fi film Silent Running at Queens Social Club; and the Celtic festival of Beltane is celebrated at the Forum on May Day.
2011 welcomes Bill Drummond as Sensoria’s first composer in residence. In tribute to the Corby steel mills that inspired his youth, the KLF co-founder will work from Sheffield Forgemasters and the fruit of his tenure will be performed and discussed in a lecture. The city’s industrial past will also inspire local percussionists taking part in “Steel City Pulse” at Portland Works, an event co-presented by metalworking festival Galvanize.
There’s plenty of art to be seen (and heard) too. Martyn Ware and Malcolm Garrett present soundscape installation Diaspora Magnet at SIAD Gallery, and more sound-based work can be experienced with Listen Up at Creative Arts Development Space. Bank Street Arts and the Forum both present photography, with exhibitions from Shaun Bloodworth and Tracey Welch.
Finally, SensoriaPro takes place on 5 − 6 May. Running alongside the main programme, the two-day industry event discusses innovation in music and the moving image. Speakers including UK Music’s Feargal Sharkey, DJ Mary Anne Hobbs and Bestival’s Rob Da Bank.
That’s just part of the impressive line-up that makes up the growing festival’s fourth year. You can find Sensoria’s full programme of events at www.sensoria.org.uk, along with venue locations and ticketing information.
By Matthew Mella