Onwards Festival: Exploring Huddersfield’s Grassroots Music Scene This September, Onwards Festival is taking over the streets of Huddersfield and filling them with the vibrant rhythms of live music and art.
This one-of-a-kind multi-venue music festival is an annual celebration of Huddersfield’s grassroots music scene and it’s set to be the biggest and best yet this year! Onwards Festival began in 2016 with an ambition to move audiences around town in a pub crawl-style experience. Since then, it has become incredibly popular, with more venues and acts taking part each year.
As the local creative sector has faced difficulties over the last two years, this year is even more important – and the organisers have secured generous support from Arts Council England and Kirklees Council to bring the festival back with even more music and art. The festival takes place across two days, on Saturday the 23rd and Sunday the 24th of September. Over sixteen events will guide audiences on a journey through an electrifying tapestry of genres, featuring everything from funk and afrobeat to jazz, world, and soul.
As well as showcasing local talent and premiering new works, Onwards Festival will also feature exciting visual art and sound installations. Headlining Saturday’s festivals are Klonk – a high energy 8-piece party band that blend klezmer, balkan, funk, jazz, metal, and hip-hop. They’ll be followed by performances from Jazz vocalist Ruby Wood, Amaya – a duo of Carnatic singer Supriya Nagarajan and Duncan Chapman on flugelhorn and electronics, Plantfood and Wadcutter Blues. Sunday’s lineup will feature afternoon acoustic performances as well as a specially commissioned collaboration between Thabo and The Huddersfield Ukrainian Singing Troupe.
There will also be a sound sculpture installation by Chris Ruffoni which responds in real time to the environment, and the evening will be topped off by the lustrous Mr Wilson’s Second Liners. So if you love vibrant music and art, Onwards Festival is the perfect place to be this September. You can purchase day tickets for Saturday’s events or individual tickets for Sunday’s. So come and explore Huddersfield’s grassroots music scene and witness live performances from some of the most talented acts around.