Legendary frontman of The Specials returns to Coventry to
curate a festival of live music, DJ sets, film and spoken word
THURSDAY 29 JULY - SUNDAY 1 AUGUST 2021
Tickets on sale on Friday 25 June at 10am
An Evening with Terry Hall
and
The Libertines
Roni Size & Dread MC+ Felix Hall & Special Guest Jossy Mitsu
Lightning Seeds + Eccentronic Research Council ft. Maxine Peake
The Pop Group vs Dennis Bovell featuring World Premiere of 'Y In Dub'
Midnight in the ruins: UNKLE presents Ronin show
Peter Doherty
Alabama 3
Midnight at the Ruins: Daddy G (Massive Attack) + Queen Bee DJ set
Death Disco hosted by Alan McGee + special guests
Venues: Coventry Cathedral Ruins, Coventry Cathedral
& HMV Empire Coventry
Today, 22 June 2021, Coventry City of Culture Trust announces the first acts for Terry Hall Home Sessions, a unique four-day festival curated by Terry Hall with Creative Producer Suzanne Bisset. Staged in iconic city centre locations, Home Sessions runs from Thursday 29 July to Sunday 1 August 2021.
As the lead singer of the definitive Coventry band, The Specials, Terry helped define the sound of a generation. For Coventry UK City of Culture, he presents a festival that blends international legends, contemporary pioneers and the best in emerging talent. Home Sessions will also shine a light on the rich past and present of the booming Coventry music scene in what will be one of the unique live experiences of 2021.
Home Sessions’ eclectic and high-profile line up reflects a four decade-long career working with the finest musicians in the world. Terry is recognised as a towering figure of contemporary culture, who continues to inspire cutting-edge musicians today.
Home Sessions will see Terry Hall inviting some of the incredible artists he has collaborated with over the years, his heroes and heroines, to come and jam together in his hometown. This is Terry Hall's own personal playlist - a harmony of music, art, performance and film, brought to life in Coventry. It will be a one off series of intimate gigs - turning Coventry city centre into a festival campus.
The first acts announced for the specially curated festival include DJ and record producer Roni Size; rock band The Libertines and frontman Pete Doherty; country and electronic rock band Alabama 3; jubilant pop rock group The Lightning Seeds, and vintage synth enthusiasts Eccentronic Research Council featuring Maxine Peake performing 1612 Underture - a 12 chapter sound poem based of the mistreatment and memory of the Pendle Witches. There will be DJ sets by Daddy G (Massive Attack) and Creation Records’ founder Alan McGee’s Death Disco.
The full festival line up will be announced in early July, including the festival’s female headliners. Coventry City of Culture Trust remains committed to PRS’s gender equality pledge Keychange for all its events.
A special competition, Home Grown, will see local talent, with a focus on underrepresented groups, selected in the lead up to Home Sessions take to the stage as support acts to the internationally-known headliners. At the close of the festival one of these acts will go on to release a record on Peter Doherty’s new record label, Strap Originals, which is based in the city. Doherty grew up in nearby Bedworth and is passionate about discovering and promoting new talent in Coventry.
As well as the iconic twin venues of Coventry Cathedral Ruins, destroyed in the Blitz during WWII and the new Cathedral, a mid-century masterpiece next door, the festival will also take over the brand new HMV Empire, a brand-new state-of-the-art gig venue located nearby in Hertford Street.
Home Sessions is being produced as a covid-secure event in line with government guidelines and the roadmap.
Terry Hall says: “It’s been an extraordinary experience for me. Curating Home Sessions in the middle of a pandemic. It seemed surreal, not knowing whether it could take place amid this current climate. I considered the line-up for months putting the jigsaw together. In the end, I created a live version playlist of my favourite artists. My solo performance, taking place in Coventry Cathedral on the Saturday night is one I have always wanted to do. It will be my first live performance for two years and very unlike anything I’ve performed before. I look forward to performing in front of an audience again & to seeing some live music in my home town of Coventry.”
Chenine Bhathena says: “As lead singer of the city's much loved band and enduring global export, Terry Hall is the perfect choice as curator for the Home Sessions. Coventry is a music city, a place that has given birth to movements, mavericks and melodies, and that has welcomed major artists and hosted significant music events of all genres from all over the world. Home Sessions will see one of our city’s great creative talents blend major international names with exciting emerging talent across our city, and we couldn’t be more excited to be presenting this live music festival in the heart of Coventry.”
Music fans who have downloaded the City of Culture app, and earned enough points by booking tickets, will be able to access Priority Booking on Wednesday 23 June with Public booking opening on Friday 25 June at 10am.
THURSDAY 29 JULY
Roni Size & Dread MC+ Felix Hall and Special Guest Jossy Mitsu
Cathedral Ruins. Doors open 6.30pm, tickets from £32
FRIDAY 3O JULY
Lightning Seeds + Eccentronic Research Council ft. Maxine Peake
Cathedral Ruins. Doors open 6.00pm, tickets from £42
Midnight in the ruins: UNKLE presents Ronin show
Cathedral Ruins. Doors open 11.30pm, tickets from £32
SATURDAY 31 JULY
The Pop Group vs Dennis Bovell: World Premiere of 'Y In Dub'
HMV Empire Coventry. Doors open 9.30pm, tickets from £27
Peter Doherty
Coventry Cathedral. Doors open 11.30am, tickets from £25
Alabama 3 acoustic
Coventry Cathedral. Doors open 2.30pm, tickets from £25
An Evening with Terry Hall
Coventry Cathedral. Doors open 7.30pm, tickets from £52
Midnight at the ruins: Daddy G (Massive Attack) + Queen Bee DJ set
Cathedral Ruins. Doors open 11.30pm, tickets from £32
SUNDAY 1 AUGUST
Death Disco hosted by Alan McGee + special guests
Coventry Cathedral. Doors open 7.00pm, tickets from £25
The Libertines
Cathedral Ruins. Doors open 9.00pm, tickets from £32
Full line will be announced in early July.