The first acts confirmed to play This Vibrant Thing, a three-date, Free festival-style, music, spoken word and performing arts event, innovatively staged at three Manchester libraries over three weekends in March 2018, have been confirmed.
Bringing some of the UK’s most vital, rising talents to libraries in Longsight (Sat 3 Mar 2018), Wythenshawe (Sat 17 Mar 2018) and North City, Harpurhey (Sat 24 Mar 2018), artists including hip-hop collective, 8 Gold Rings, critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter, Mica Miller and acclaimed hip-hop explorer, Abnormal Sleepz will perform.
Staged as part of Creative Spaces, a cultural initiative of Manchester Libraries, in partnership with creative change makers, Platform Mcr, This Vibrant Thing will see libraries transformed through music, poetry, spoken word, installations, visual art and more, featuring a line-up of rising stars, renowned artists and local talent.
Hands-on experiences, including yoga and art workshops, will give audiences the chance to test both their physical and creative flexibility.
Looking deep into the fast-beating heart of Manchester’s modern cultural scene, the searing talent of Old Trafford wordsmith, Isaiah Hull also joins the line-up as host and performer for the Longsight date.
Having appeared on stage in front of thousands at the BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend 2016 and brought his idiosyncratic take on modern life to TedX Manchester, the poet treats This Vibrant Thing audiences to his witty and acerbic talent. Hull is joined in the line-up by the spoken-word collective, Young Identity, which supported him to find expression in prose and showcases yet more, fresh, poetic talent from Manchester to the festival.
Having received an overwhelmingly positive response from critics and DJs for his mix tape, The Meditapes Two, Abnormal Sleepz returns to his native city to perform his dynamic mix of ambient beats and observational rhymes, both drawn from experience of performing internationally as a rapper and DJ, and experiences of his life in Manchester’s Moss Side. More music comes from Abnormal Sleepz collaborators and fearless, electronic boundary-breakers in their own right, HMD and beats-pioneer, Glue70.
The addition of performing arts companies, MAD Theatre Company and KYSO, both of which provide access to performing arts opportunities for groups and individuals in Manchester communities, means audiences can expect a dazzlingly wide range of creative experiences that celebrate life, laughter, colour and community.
In what promises to be an alternative experience of local libraries, THIS VIBRANT THING is taking place as part of the Creative Spaces programme, a new initiative, which celebrates Manchester’s local libraries as spaces where you can enjoy arts and culture on your doorstep, for FREE.
Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Schools, Culture and Leisure, Councillor Luthfur Rahman, said: “The first festival events of their kind in our city’s libraries, THIS VIBRANT THING and the Creative Spaces programme are launched as ways in which Manchester can jointly showcase the incredible, emerging and established talent emerging from our communities and bring people together to experience their libraries in new and unexpected ways. Brilliantly curated by Platform Mcr, the three weekend events bring leading artistic talents together to spread joy and create positive, long-lasting memories.”
Affecting change through creativity in cultural opportunity in and around Manchester, Platform Mcr works to empower marginalised individuals and groups. Whether working on festival events like This Vibrant Thing or distinct, skills-based projects in music production, animation or drama, the organisation explores identity, community and the social issues affecting families and individuals.
Platform Mcr’s Co-Founder, Tunde Adekoya, said: “Manchester has such rich talent and creativity, a vibrancy from which the name of this series of events takes its name. This Vibrant Thing is also about community, and taking ownership of our communities means being present, so we really want people to come out and feel that this is theirs. Its for anyone who loves live, cutting-edge music, feels in any way creative and is curious about the transformation of their local library into a place for remarkable performances to take place. People of all ages and backgrounds are invited and encouraged to take part.”
Sat 3 March 2017, 12 noon–5pm, Longsight Library
Sat 17 March 2017, 12 noon–5pm, Wythenshawe Forum Library
Sat 24 March 2017, 12 noon–5pm, North City Library
