Glastonbury-performing local musician Seb Lowe has teamed up with young people across Oldham to release a new song dedicated to addressing hate crime in modern society.
Seb’s new track, titled ‘Change the Pattern’, comes out today in support of the borough’s wider efforts to raise awareness of hate crime and the impact it can have, during a national week of action.
The inspiration behind the Delph-born musician’s latest music first came about after he took part in a creative writing workshop with a group of 20 students from Oldham Theatre Workshop (OTW) and members of Oldham’s Youth Council.
It was here where Seb, an OTW alumni, collaborated with children aged between 13 and 16 to discuss the topic of hate crime and learn more about their own personal experiences of hate and what they’d heard elsewhere.
The singer-songwriter then took these stories away with him and used their words as the basis for his new lyrics, which talk about the real-life issues of hate and the devastating effects it can have on people’s lives.
Reflecting on his new song, Seb said: “We all know the world can be a cruel place, but it is through our actions as individuals, that we can make it a better place.
“In the song, I talk about the thoughts and opinions that are passed down to us through generations, thoughts that in some cases, can be quite hateful.
“But there’s a generational gap between older and young people now, and it’s on us to change those thoughts and to change that pattern for our future.”
Seb was keen to unpick the thoughts and opinions of younger people as part of his new song because he said ‘some of the best thoughts come from those who don’t think it is their place to have an opinion.
“The young people I spoke with gave such a strong insight into the world they currently see, and the impact hate has on society,” he added.
“When they first started the workshop, they all came in thinking ‘Oh what will I say’ but once we go into some activities and teased out their thoughts, it was astonishing how much they had to say.
“Hate is a very serious topic to discuss, and I can see why a lot of people would shy away from talking about it because it’s not nice a subject, but through music we can help to play out those emotions and feelings, to magnify them – and this can lead to action.”
