After a successful first outing in Gloucester last year, Tomorrow’s Warriors took our ground-breaking outreach project, A Grime Supreme, to Hull to continue our work at the intersection of different musical communities, bringing together young jazz musicians and instrumentalists with local MCs. 

Supported by Youth Music’s Trailblazer Fund, over a 3-month period we worked with our delivery partners Hull Music Service and BeatsBus Records, to develop young musicians’ song writing, recording, and performance skills, all leading up to a headline showcase performance at the Albemarle Music Centre on the 20th April.

Hull is an area with a rich spirit, a strong sense of community and togetherness, and a resilient DIY music culture. Whilst it might be the fourth most deprived local authority in the country, and compared to the UK’s bigger cities it has less resources and infrastructure for music, the former City of Culture is undeniably a music city – and where there are dedicated people, there is the possibility of creating something very special. 

“This is my first experience of being a part of a live band. Normally, what I do is basically just in the studio, but now I know how it feels to sing over live instruments and a live band, and I can’t wait for another version of this project here – amazing!” Kenny O, singer/MC

TW Music Leaders, Mercury-nominated drummer and producer Moses Boyd, iconic British producer Swindle, and saxophonist and jazz-drill pioneer Deji Ijishakin (XVNGO), worked with a group of young musicians each with their own set of musical experiences and backgrounds; from French horn players and violinists who had only ever played in orchestras, to rappers who had only ever written and recorded solo.

Over the course of the three months, the project enabled a group of people from different backgrounds and different parts of the city to find common musical ground and delivered 4 workshop sessions, 3 jam sessions, a panel discussion, a studio recording session, plus a fantastic and unifying live performance.

The legacy of this project is in fantastic hands, with our partners on the ground already looking for future opportunities for the group, starting with a new regular TW-inspired session on music production and performance, beginning in September. Whilst the project’s first iteration in Gloucester saw the existing groundwork for new musical community in bloom, our project in Hull saw the seeds planted for the next generation of young musicians. Watch this space! 

“Being able to meet the local community has been good, because obviously it’s people that you don’t really usually talk to or see. So it just allows you to work together with people from different backgrounds and to be able to sort of build a stronger net of musicians and the relationships between them.” Francis, violin

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