THE free Sound of the Streets festival weekend returns to Taunton's Goodland Gardens and around town from Friday, September 29, to Monday, October 1.

 

It will bring some extraordinary bands to the town and give people the chance to join in.

There will be family workshops, chances to try out body percussion and samba, sing and join a massive street band.

The event will feature music and a marquee in Goodland Gardens and bands playing all around the town.

 

The Sound of the Streets is a charity that promotes street bands and street music and supports young people to play inspiring music.

It is also running an education weekend with street drumming and street brass on Saturday and Sunday, September 23 and 24.

READ MORE: Sound of the Streets festival in Taunton in 2021.

The festival workshops will be led by Ollie Tunmer, who has led workshops all around the world and was a founding member of Stomp.

Bands performing at the festival include the award winning and theatrical Perhaps Contraption; Bristol’s very pink Ambling Band, who have been entertaining people on the streets of the UK and Europe for more than 40 years; Cardiff’s brass Massive Wonderbrass; Bristol samba collective Ilu Axé; and the funky street sounds of the Brass Junkies.

The Sound of the Streets ‘house band’ Tongues of Fire blow up a musical storm of brass, reeds and percussion and are run by festival organiser and Taunton’s own veteran Street musician Tim Hill.

There will be local groups including the anarchic Frome Street Bandits, Skin Tight Samba and Taunton’s funky brass collective The Little Big Horns and community band The Big Noise Street Band.

Local school and youth bands such as The Sound Invaders and The Big Friendly Street Band will also be performing, while local legend Chris Grabham will be leading a singing session.

Tim Hill said: “This vibrant and life-affirming music is something we all need and we want to see people dancing, singing and joining in.

"Street bands are a great way to make music and we are running an education weekend for anyone interested in street drumming and an opportunity for all young players of brass, wind and drums to come explore this exciting and inspiring sound - led by some of the leading music educators in the UK.”

The full festival programme will be available HERE.