Create Music Village’s month of live music in Ashford has drawn to a close for 2024 after attracting record numbers of local people to its events and workshops.
Over 1800 music lovers attended Create’s gigs and creative sessions throughout October at venues around the town, including Coachworks, Low Key Taproom, Revelation and The Ashford Cinema.
Highlights included a sell-out return performance from Riskee and the Ridicule; a vibrant, family-friendly day with Just Vibez at Coachworks; Barrioke and Ashford’s Mayor taking to the dance floor at Deptford Northern Soul Club at Revelation; plus the chance to see some incredible local and emerging talent, free of charge, with Create Introducing at Low Key Taproom.
This year’s fringe events proved just as popular as the core live music offering, with a great mix of free and paid workshops from Drum and Ink, Made in Ashford and B Arts, Saturdays filled with live music at Ashford Bandstand, including a celebration of sounds from across the African continent and diaspora with Ashford Massive and R G Studios transformed from photography studio to intimate venue for a one-off magical performance from Dulcima.
Create also hosted their first Artists in Residence with Sophie Stone and Thomas Green and their Ashford Sounds Project.
The 2024 programme not only featured a more diverse array of performers but also succeeded in attracting a wider cross-section of people from the local community, with a significantly increased number of children and young people accessing this year’s events.
Create Music Village project manager Debra McGee said: “We’re now in our third year, and it’s been a fantastic month with a wonderful vibe across the town.
“Everywhere you turned, something was happening – from folk workshops to soundscapes, new music talent to established artists and everything in between. We couldn’t be happier.”
Create Music Village 2024 was made possible by funding from Ashford Borough Council, Arts Council England and local sponsors, including Bucksford Law, YouFibre, Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce and EKC Ashford College, whose students also supplied content to be used across Create’s social media channels.
