Reform were commissioned by the Everyman & Playhouse in Liverpool to work with a group of elderly residents to create an audio soundscape that encapsulated some of their favourite people and places.
Using sounds to compliment the stories, the idea was to evoke a sense of nostalgia and get the people of Liverpool thinking about their own favourite people and places.
The piece was played in the foyer of the Everyman & Playhouse during the run of Bright Phoenix, a play which revealed the magic of forgotten places and dreaming beneath the stars.
Every episode of High Rise will be released on Podfollow and Spotify one by one every Thursday. The rollout of the episodes started on Thursday 12th August.
High Rise is a European Social Fund funded 12 week creative writing radio drama project.
During these 12 weeks, MBE appointed Louise Wallwein guided each participant to create their own episode. All 11 episodes explored Greater Manchester’s gentrification.
So far 3 episodes have been released. Read on to learn more about each episode.
EP1: Hong Kong to Manchester
Written and produced by Farwa Naseer.
Hong Kong to Manchester explores themes of race, class and cultural differences. It showcases how humans connect regardless of this and celebrates Manchester’s diversity and evolving skyline.
EP2: Rain, Thunder and Fire
Written by Connor Forsyth.
An argument over the changing city, brought about by an artwork depicting it aflame. The High Rise buildings divide the past and future of the city. A story of sorrow, conflict, and passion.
EP3: Pushed Out Again
Written and produced by Jonathan Williams.
As the echoes of a compulsory order from the past linger, a teenager struggles with the uncertainty looming over his family with history threatening to repeat itself.
High Rise is a 12 week creative writing radio drama project.
During these 12 weeks, MBE appointed Louise Wallwein guided each participant to create their own episode. All 11 episodes explored Greater Manchester’s gentrification.
The episodes will be released on Podfollow and Spotify one by one every Thursday. The rollout of the episodes will start on Thursday 12th August.
Reform Radio have collaborated with Manchester independent beer company ShinDigger and venue Kampus to host Little David Street Party on Saturday 4th September.
There will be two stages of curated DJ talent for this canal side day party in the Kampus tropical garden, alongside the ShinDigger Beer & Le Social Wine bar with some delicious food pop-ups.
Join us on Saturday 4th September from 2PM-10 PM at Kampus.
On Thursday 9th September, Reformare set to host an exclusive Northern launch of the cult acid house novel Trip City and soundtrack reissue by Velocity Press withauthor Trevor Miller and pioneering producer & DJ, A Guy Called Gerald.
Hosted by legendary Hacienda resident & broadcaster DJ Paulette, audiences can watch the in-depth discussion exclusively on the revamped reformradio.co.uk launching the same day. The event will conclude with the first DJ set performed by A Guy Called Gerald on his home turf in over two years.
The event, delivered in partnership with Manchester independent beer company ShinDigger, will also be open to attendance at Reform’s studios for 10 randomly-selected audience memebers.
To enter the competition head to Reform Radio’s Instagram and share, like and comment on the Trip City post, tagging the person who you’d like to share the experience with.
Tough Talks was Podcasting With Purpose‘s first first full production. On the 10th of July, Tough Talks won Best Sex & Relationships Podcast at the British Podcast Awards.
Tough Talks was produced by Reform for Hits Radio & Hits Radio Pride. The series was supported by the Audio Content Fund.
In the series, people from the LGBTQ+ community relive and reflect on a tough talk from their past, covering topics such as gender, sexuality, and identity.
The Podcasting With Purpose scheme has accommodated many podcast productions.
Podcasting With Purposeprovides you with end-to-end production and coaching services from trained, BBC standard producers, as well as editing, upload and podcast promotion, and the chance to record in Reform’s Studio.
In partnership with Manchester International Festival, Reform Radio has invited MIF’s Festival Square producer Rivca Burns to discuss what this years programme has in store.
The new COVID-19 safe seated format in Cathedral Gardens will offer a free daily programme of Greater Manchester talent. This will include appearances from Trees.R.Good and King of our current Soundcamp cohort, who will be performing at Festival Square amongst over 100 other local acts between 2-18th of July.
Hosted by Reform Radio’s Resident Aisha Williams, the show will be airing on Reform Radio at 4:00PM on 30th June 2020.
In one week, nine creative minds came together to produce a one hour radio show compiled of numerous short podcasts. Covering a multitude of topics, including Chicago Warehouse to the Jungle, muddy festival fields and even the football pitch.
The young people also honed in on their experiences of being on universal credit, shining a light on the spirit of the creative community who are fighting to prevail during this extremely difficult time.
Here are some highlights of what is to come on Reform Radio for this year’s Pride Month. Expect shows and an article on our blog which all aim to spread awareness, love and create a platform to educate on LGBTQ+ matters.
Introducing Dan
Introducing Dan is the second piece to come out of the Introducing series, with the first being Evie’s blog post on her journey to becoming her true self as a genderfluid transfeminine woman.
Dan is Reform Radio’s Well-Being Manager who offers 1:1 wellbeing sessions and also runs Life Lounge, a weekly drop in workshop to help you navigate the many thoughts, feelings and experiences we face in life.
The article that Dan has written for Reform is an extremely personal look into the darker emotion that Pride can bring to the surface as someone from the LGBTQ+ community. He explores the relationship that shame has with his identity, diving into his past and demonstrating the complicated topic of shame.
Midweek Jazz Pride Special
Manchester based saxophonist Helena shares her love of all things jazz. Each month explores a different theme and provides the perfect soundtrack to help you through the midweek slump.
This month’s show will be a Pride special, where Helena invites Rachel Oliver from Sonder Radio to discuss how to be a good trans ally and the meaning and history around Pride.
You can catch the show at Reform Radio on 10th June.
Tough Talks
Tough Talks is a British Podcast Awards nominated production, which was produced for Hits Radio Pride & funded by the Audio Content Fund.
The series invited people from the LGBTQ+ community to reflect on a difficult conversation from their past, with the person they had the conversation with. Tough Talks covers topics such as gender, sexuality, and identity.
The 20 episodes from Tough Talks have been divided into a two part show, both airing in June. Catch them both on Reform Radio.
We have another brilliant show coming straight out of our most recent podcasting course funded by MAES. Audio Antidote is an exciting new show featuring debut mini-podcasts from four podcasters fresh to the scene.
The show’s segments explore topics close to the creators’ hearts, venturing into Liquid D&B, hitchhiking, soundscapes and more. Audio Antidote takes listeners into our world for a brief moment and provides an oasis of tranquillity amid the chaos of everyday life.
Audio Antidote is also packed full of inspiration for budding podcasters. You can gain an insight into the podcasting world with tips from the APA’s 2021 winner of Best New Podcast Producer Olivia Swift, and the host of the insightful podcast series“Tea Talks”.
Manchester based electronica pop/folk artist IORA has finally created a music video for her track ‘Find Me’.
The video will premiering on Reform’s YouTube channel at 6 PM (BST) on 26th May.
The concept of the ‘Find Me’ music video was amongst others pitched to a panel of judges including – Mike Burgess from Sound With Mike, Jenna G and Nick Wood of Koolstof. The song’s music video pitch won support & funding from Reform Radio via Arts Council England.
IORA
No Such Thing Records paired IORA with the talented visual artist, Sarah Eyre. IORA also worked with Melanie Roberts to develop the concept and the ‘eye’ model which appears through out the video.
After becoming a fan of Holly Rush‘s work, a dancer and choreographer, IORA met virtually before finally collaborating for the project.
Head to Reform’s Youtube channel on 26th May at 6:00pm (BST) to catch the premier.
Over the past week, Reform Radio teamed up with Gaydio to produce a one hour live pride show. Working with The Proud Trust, young creatives have produced content ranging from debates to spoken word and music tracks.
To celebrate 100 years of the women’s vote, this explores topics such as strength, resilience, breaking steroetypes, gender pay gaps, and policy, through spoken word, music and debate.
EP2: The Politics of Being Homeless
There are so many factors that can lead to a person becoming homeless, and in these times of austerity so many people find themselves sleeping on the streets or sofa surfing.
In this episode Lily and Jonah from Love For the Streets were invited to talk about the issues of homelessness. Expect also discussions on some of the main causes of homelessness, a conversation with a women with first hand experience and an investigation what is being done at a policy level.
EP3: The Politics of Being a Voter
The #womanchester statue of Emmeline Pankhurst being unveiled in December inspired this episode to focus on the history of the Suffragettes who fought to get the women’s vote.
Episode 3 takes the listener out onto the streets to find out if people are using their rights to vote and why. The episode also introduces some of the key players and their manifestos, before heading to the Chamber of Secrets to understand a bit more about the voting process.
EP4: The Politics of Being in Brexit
The Politics of BeingPolitical group traveled down south to visit the Houses of Parliament, to investigate all things related to Brexit. The team interviewed protesters for leave and remain, and women to discuss how they will be impacted if Britain leaves the EU.
EP5: The Politics of Being Healthy
Whether it’s looking at your diet or thinking about your mental health, we all want to start 2019 with a fresh outlook.
The final episode of The Politics fo Being Political delves into physical and mental health, support services available and as always going to the Chamber of Secrets to find out what’s going on at policy level.
Get Started with Radio (Liverpool) is a week-long workshop designed to provide digital skills to young people in its respective area, notably of course from their homes which has provided a new dimension of learning for all involved.
In light of this our support Lead, Adam Seymour, remarked that “within five days a group of strangers have done so well to unite during lockdown to create a show packed full of really important and prevalent issues”.
A colourful Wave of creativity comes all the way from the North-west of England right to your ears! With the support of the Prince’s Trust and Reform Radio, Young people from the Lancashire and Liverpool area have created an avant-garde series of mini-podcasts that deal with a whole range of relevant topics for today’s society.
Their creations take on the inspiring challenge of creating a demo of a Podcast during lockdown– which was put forward by BBC Radio 1’s Dj, Podcast-explorer, and Radio genius Annie Mac. The result is knitted together in this special with an interview with the Podcast Producer and Radio personality Louise Mason.
Hope For Health
In partnership & funded by NHS at 70, The Prince’s Trust and The National Lottery
A group of young people have put together their own original content surrounding the themes of the NHS and mental & physical health. Expect original music, discussions lead by members of the group, interactions with the people of Liverpool and spoken word inspired by the NHS.
Homes Without Borders
Funded by The Prince’s Trust
A group of young creatives in Liverpool have put together a show packed full of original music, informative podcasts and debates surrounding the topics of leaving home.
Scouse Takeover
Funded by The Prince’s Trust
In the Scouse Takeover, expect interesting discussions on Scouse slang alongside exclusive interviews with Liverpool talent who also showcased their new music.
Get Started with Radio (Manchester) is a week-long workshop designed to provide digital skills to young people in its respective area, notably of course from their homes which has provided a new dimension of learning for all involved.
In light of this our support Lead, Adam Seymour, remarked that “within five days a group of strangers have done so well to unite during lockdown to create a show packed full of really important and prevalent issues”.
Scroll down and listen back to all the shows that have been created through this project so far.
The project brought together a huge group of 16 – 18 years olds from a care experienced background. They created a one hour live radio show, where all the skills, content and production were developed and created over only one week.
The group created debate shows, new tracks and features that challenged everything from, ‘Stop and Search to Knife Crime’
The Buzz Show
Funded by the Irene Taylor Trust and the Prince’s Trust
The project delivered a week of music workshops where a group of young creatives jammed together and produced their very own masterpieces. Thrown into this show is some tracks that inspired the young people to create the music they showcase on this show.
Stop Me if You’ve Heard This One Before
Funded by the Prince’s Trust
Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before’ is the show where we explore the history of one of Manchester’s greatest nightclubs; Sankeys. This show is filled with interviews with the DJs that played there and the people that partied there. There will also be a creative pieces made by Manchester’s young talent as well as the public’s opinion on their musical experiences.
Universal Vibes
Funded by the Prince’s Trust
Packed into this broadcast there’s a voxpop where the group went out into the public and asked the question, “If you could change the world to make it a better place, what would you change?”
The group also has a few chats about media, gaming and global warming as well as a quiz about facts to do with the world. Don’t forget live performance’s by James Lyons and participants on the course too.
Conspiracy Theory Takeover
Funded by the Prince’s Trust
This time the cohort created a show with live performance, poetry, discussions on conspiracy theories and a competition which gave the listeners a chance to win a reform hat.
Get and Go
Funded by the Prince’s Trust
For one hour only the Get & Go Takeover broadcasted the best music, arts and culture that Manchester has to offer.
The show delves into a wide variety of content. Song covers, interviews, game shows and a special guest appearance.
Reform Squad
Funded by the Prince’s Trust
Madventure Takeover
Funded by the Prince’s Trust
Putting the mad back in Madchester to quote DRS, our first this Get Started with Radio cohort took over the Reform airwaves for an hour, covering topics of…
WOH Thursdays is a 4 part series, premiering all the performances from Reform’s Stage at We Out Here On Line & On Air Festival. The stage gave Soundcamp graduates the opportunity to perform alongside…
On Friday 28th May, performances from KING, Sibz, Sarah Angel and Zed Bias will be going live.
KING
French Born, London based singer songwriter KING allies the musical details of French lyrical culture with the soothing tones of her soulful voice.
KING takes inspiration not only from her French upbringings but the great tradition of genre-fluidity, on a quest of sonic expansion with the trait of being experimentally audacious.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:00 (BST) to catch the performance.
Sarah Angel
Sarah Angel is a singer-songwrited and visual artist bring word play, double entendres, and her unique viewpoint of the world into her multidisciplinary artform.
Sarah Angel has a particular presence as a performer and songwriter, and is informed by her deep understanding of visual artistry, that has very much captured the attention of the Manchester scene and beyond.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:15 (BST) to catch the performance.
SIBZ
Specialising in spiritualistic hedonism and raucous beats, SIBZ‘s bold and braggadocio performances deliver emotional expressionism in a heated package.
SIBZ delivers a strong alternative vision of rap, presenting psychedelic self-produced sounds and an emotive approach to performance.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:30 (BST) to catch the performance.
Zed Bias
The iconic artist that continues to innovate and stay connected to the grass roots, traversing UKG, UK funky, Dubstep, Broken Beat and other bass sounds with DJ sets that have always been a mainstay.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:30 (BST) to catch the performance.
WOH Thursdays is a 4 part series, premiering all the performances from Reform’s Stage at We Out Here On Line & On Air Festival. The stage gave Soundcamp graduates the opportunity to perform alongside…
On 20th May, performances from Trees.R.Good, Queen Tamika, Sutty and The Mirror Ball Test will be going live.
Trees.R.Good
Trees.R.Good is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ spreading her extended European heritage through bass driven, groove infused sounds.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:00 (BST) to catch the performance.
Queen Tamika
Born in Manchester, the singer-songwriter, rapper, model and performer is an all around creative who uses influences from her Caribbean heritage and life experiences to give us soul nourishing music, draped in advice and wisdom.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:15 (BST) to catch the performance.
SUTTY
SUTTY is a singer-songwriter, producer and flautist based in Manchester. She creates and collaborates on hip hop beats, singing over them with soulful vocals and honest lyrics.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:30 (BST) to catch the performance.
The Mirror Ball Test
The Mirror Ball Test are a 7-piece jazz fusion band from Manchester, whose music is an exploration of the world through psychedelic interpretations, and grounded in melodic and layered soundtracks.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:40 (BST) to catch the performance.
WOH Thursdays is a 4 part series, premiering all the performances from Reform’s Stage at We Out HereOn Line & On Air Festival. The stage gave Soundcamp graduates the opportunity to perform alongside some of Manchester’s finest artists.
On 13th May, performances from Joe Roche, Skarlet, INKA, Aaliyah Esprite and Renee Stormz will be going live.
Joe Roche
Joe Roche represents the new school old school. From receiving recent support from Jaguar on Radio 1 to spreading his wings across the Mancunian club circuit and beyond. Adding signature versatility to the acid house dimension has seen this young DJ/producer rise through the ranks.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:00 (BST) to catch the performance.
Skarlet
Skarlet is an electro-folk singer-songwriter who writes about real experiences, drawing out the light from the darkness with her jazzy, blues rich voice.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:15 (BST) to catch the performance.
INKA
Based in South Manchester, Inka is an inspired DJ/producer who has been turning heads in the UK underground for a while, mesmerising dance floors up and down the country with his unmistakable selections. From the studio, he manages to bend and fuse sub-low frequencies with his own unique influences from the worlds of hip-hop, soul and ambience, creating a trademark Inka-style.
Expect to be taken on a journey through sound at his shows, as he sets his own unique productions alongside some of the deepest cuts around. The Beeswaxx resident and co-founder is always experimenting with his sets & delivers the energy every time so make sure you pull up.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:25 (BST) to catch the performance.
Aaliyah Esprit
Aaliyah Esprit is a singer, songwriter who’s been making waves with her fusion of lounge R&B sound with soul and trap and her sweltering vocals, with a standout release on Future Bubblers and a string of festival performances.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:45 (BST) to catch the performance.
Renee Stormz
Renee Stormz is an MC, writer & singer, delivering bouncy flows articulating poignant truths that explore the experiences of a black woman growing up in the West. Renee presents powerful songs, solo and collaboratively.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 21:05 (BST) to catch the performance.
WOH Thursdays is a 4 part series, premiering all the performances from Reform’s Stage at We Out Here On Line & On Air Festival. The stage gave Soundcamp graduates the opportunity to perform alongside
On 6th May, performances from Yelena Lashimba, KUPI, Babyflxcko and Zelya will be going live.
Yelena Lashimba
Yelena Lashimba uses inspiration from percussive genres like Samba and Afro to carve a unique indie RnB sound, infusing smooth vocals alongside the occasional spoken word verse as part of a new generation using their art to champion feminism.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:00 (BST) to catch the performance.
KUPI
Formed within the vacuum of lockdown, KUPI is a newly born experimental music project piecing together highly detailed rabbit holes of sound for you to fall down. Within these sonic environments, lush soundscapes flow and crash around mangled found sounds and jagged walls of electronic percussion.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:15 (BST) to catch the performance.
Babyflxcko
Bethany White better known as Babyflxcko, Sheffield born singer/songwriter has been surrounded by music her whole life with a family full of musicians. Being a young girl she spent time singing daily in her bedroom and figuring out which music best suited her voice. Growing up she had (still has) a great passion for Hip Hop and Rap.
Her influences Amy Winehouse, Billie Eilish, Jhene Aiko, Michael Jackson, Kali Uchis, Lauryn Hill etc inspired her love for Soul, Jazz and R&B.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:30 (BST) to catch the performance.
Zeyla
Raised on a rich heritage of Hip, Hop, Soul, Jazz, Funk, Reggae & House, Zeyla is a multi-genre DJ and Reform Resident, who makes it her point to share her experiences of the world through her mixing.
Head to Reform‘s Youtube at 20:45 (BST) to catch the performance.
