The Red House (Town Hall), Merthyr Tydfil
Saturday 27th January 2018, 11am- 4.30pm, Followed by Exhibition Launch
Join us for a free one-day research and industry event marking the launch of a one-month exhibition celebrating the hidden history of popular music in Merthyr Tydfil, between 1955-1975. The event is organised by The University of South Wales’ Centre for the Study of Media and Culture in Small Nations
This symposium launches a month long exhibition on the history of popular music in Merthyr Tydfil, between 1955 – 1975. Taking place in the Town Hall ‘Red House’ in Merthyr Tydfil, the papers presented will be of interest not only to an academic audience, but also the music industry, community organisations and government bodies at large. The symposium features a range of established and emerging speakers from both academia and industry and will focus principally on the following research questions
- What are the relationships between local music making and more mainstream histories?
- What are the most appropriate methodologies of capturing local music histories?
- How can lost local popular music histories be made relevant to young people today?
- How can lost local musical histories impact individual and shared identities?
- How can local music making be made more sustainable?
The debates discussed in the morning range from music policy making in Wales to live music campaigning, which are complemented in the afternoon by ‘hidden history’ narratives such as the importance of locality place and memory in the construction of history, case studies of local popular music archives and the relationship of local histories to the ‘mainstream’. The day will end with a talk by Professor Paul Carr on ‘The Lost and Found Musical Histories of Merthyr Tydfil’, prior to the exhibition being launched.
The event is free and lunch is provided, but must be pre booked via the following link. http://www.redhousecymru.com/events/past-and-present-local-music-making-and-the-politics-of-popular-music/
| Past and Present: Local Music Making and the Politics of Popular Music
The Red House, Merthyr Tydfil. Saturday January 27th 11am – 5pm |
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| 11.00 | Welcome and Introduction: Paul Carr |
| 11.15 | Panel 1: The Music Industry in Wales: Chaired by Paul Carr
11.15 Luke Thomas (University of South Wales) – Culture Versus Economy: Popular Music Policy in Wales 11.30 Ewan Moor (Save Womanby Street) – From Anger to Action: Campaigning in Live Music 11.45 Joseph O’Connell (Cardiff University) & Sam Murray (Teesside University) – Are You With Me Now?: The Sŵn Performer’s Journey 12.05 Liz Hunt (Creative Republic of Cardiff) – Rebooting the Moon: Creative Republic of Cardiff 12.20 Q&A with the panel |
| 12.45-1.30 | Lunch Break |
| 1.30
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Panel 2: Alternative Local Musical Histories: Chaired by Luke Thomas
1.30 Anne Cleaton (University of East Anglia) – How Musical is my Valley? an exploration into the role of place in the musical consumption and production of local popular musicians
2.00 Dave Allen (University of Portsmouth) – Pompey Pop: a case study of a local music archive
2.30 Jez Collins (Birmingham City University) – Local Popular Music Making: pump up the grime
3.00 Mike Brocken (Liverpool Hope University) – Phillips’ Sound Recording Services: the studio that tourism forgot |
| 3.30 | Short Break |
| 4.00 | Paul Carr (University of South Wales) – Exhibition Launch: The Lost and Found Musical History of Merthyr Tydfil |
| 4.30 | End/Visit Exhibition |
Paul Carr 