About HERD
HERD is a musical and sculptural odyssey of epic proportions. Devised by composer Orlando Gough and produced by leading arts production company, Artichoke, HERD will take place in various locations around Kirklees during July 2023 as part of Kirklees Year of Music.
This KYOM23 flagship project brings together community of makers, hundreds of local schoolchildren and many hundreds more members of music groups including brass bands, bleatboxing, folk, choral and gospel choirs, boliyaan music, a Ney-anbān player, Carnatic singing and many other musicians.
Over six magical days from 11 – 16 July 2023, 23 larger-than-life sheep, unlike any you’ve ever seen or heard, will appear in surprising places across the beautiful Kirklees countryside. Wired for sound, these musical sheep sculptures will sing original compositions into the landscape, moving from the rural boundaries of Kirklees as they are herded towards town and city for the finale event.
Join us for the free finale event at 17:00 on Sunday 16 July in St George’s Square, Huddersfield to hear five new songs for Kirklees performed live by more than 350 local musicians, choirs, bands and schoolchildren. You do not need a ticket to attend. Find out more on our Plan Your Visit page.
Explore this page to learn more about the soundscape and the people behind HERD. Follow@ArtichokeTrust to see behind-the-scenes #HERD2023
Locations
Follow the soundscapes along the canals and waterways, under bridges and along country lanes into the historic town centres of Kirklees.
HERD begins with a single giant Mother Sheep, Aina, in St George’s Square, Huddersfield on Tuesday 11 July, singing her soundscape to the rest of the HERD.
As the week progresses, 22 musical sheep will travel over land and water, to join her for a euphoric free-to-attend finale event in St George’s Square, Huddersfield on Sunday 16 July.
Listen out for the sheep in various locations from 11:00 – 20:00 across the district of Kirklees either solo or in small groups from 11 – 16 July. Find full details of all the different locations throughout the week, access, parking and the finale event on our Plan Your Visit page.
Tuesday 11 – Sunday 16 July:
You can find Aina, the Mother Sheep, in St George’s Square, Huddersfield, all week singing her soundscape to the rest of the HERD.
Wednesday 12 July:
Castle Hill
The Old Mill, Calder River in Brighouse, near the Premiere Inn
Deffer Wood – On a walking trail and there is no parking available nearby
Eastergate Bridge – On a walking trail and there is no parking available nearby
Thursday 13 July:
Peel Street, Marsden
Meltham Greenway
Oakwell Hall & Gardens
Thornhill Rectory Park
The Three Acres Inn & Restaurant, Roydhouse
Friday 14 July:
Bank Bottom Mill
Slaithwaite Lock
Milnsbridge Lock
Mirfield Newgate Weir
Friday 14 July:
Keep an eye out for some floating friends on canal boats along the narrow and broad canals between 11:00 and 20:00 on Friday 14 July!
- Boat 1: ‘The Lady Brenda’, provided by Safe Anchor Trust: Shepley Basin – Coopers Bridge – Aspley Basin from 11:00 – 20:00
- Boat 2: ‘E-Shuttle’, provided by Huddersfield Canal Society: Slaithwaite – Standedge from 11:00 – 19:00
Saturday 15 July:
Some of the HERD will travel on vehicles from 12:00 – 17:00 through the towns of Batley, Dewsbury and Cleckheaton on their way to join Aina, the Mother Sheep, and the rest of the HERD in St George’s Square, Huddersfield.
The sheep will sing themselves to sleep in St George’s Square in Huddersfield from 20:00 to midnight.
Sunday 16 July:
From 12:00: From midday the whole HERD will come together in St George’s Square, Huddersfield to join Aina, the Mother Sheep.
17:00: Live finale event in St George’s Square. More than 350 singers, musicians, members of choirs, gospel groups, brass bands, come together to perform five future songs for Kirklees. Free-to-attend, no ticket required.
Sheep
Why sheep? An epic layered tale of wool and water, movement and sound, industry and labour, HERD celebrates the enormous influence that sheep have had and contribution they have made to this part of Yorkshire and its people. The history of Kirklees is rooted in the textile industry. Wool and water brought succeeding generations to work in the mills, bringing with them their own unique musical traditions.
The musical sheep have been designed by Huddersfield-based artist Dave Young, working with heritage craft practitioners, each having its own unique identity. Ranging in size from 1 – 4 metres high, they are made from a variety of materials including textiles, willow, salvaged and recycled junk. They will be wired for sound by Sebastian Frost and John Del’Nero, experts in sound design.
One of our 23 sheep isn’t following the HERD this week. Look and listen out for ‘Jiggit’, a Vivienne Westwood-inspired punk sheep with a soundscape made by teenagers from Kirklees, roaming wild across Kirklees from 14 – 16 July.
The sheep all have their own unique sound and character, and are each named after the ancient sheep-counting song, Yan Tan Tethera, which is derived from the Celtic Brythonic language. The names of the sheep are:
Aina, Bumfitt, Covero, Dix, Eddero, Fethera, Giggit, Hant, Ix, Jiggit, Kindra, Ludd, Methera, Nant, Odra, Pethera, Qethera, Ranadik, Sesan, Tethera, Umphit, Vedero, Wix.
Soundscape
Listen to our video on the homepage to hear a snippet of the soundscape
The richly layered soundscape for HERD celebrates a district with a culture rich in music of all forms. The piece traces the cultural and industrial story of Kirklees, through its multicultural musical traditions, from rural idyll to the present day. Inspired by the woollen trade, its industrial heritage and the people who came from all over to work in the textile mills, HERD’s soundscape knits together multicultural musical traditions and identities.
The sound artists taking part include Chris Ruffoni, Jaydev Mistry, Jo Kennedy, Yorkshire Sound Women Network, Monty Adkins, Rob Crisp, HOOT, Sunil Kalyan, and Sam Hodgson, Ruby Wood, Thabo Mkwananzi, Bryony Griffith and Alice Jones, Supriya Nagarajan, Donovan Christopher (Debo), Huddersfield Choral Society, Huddersfield Community Gospel Choir, Shepley Singers, Hade Edge Brass Band, Skelmanthorpe Brass Band and school choirs. Scroll down to learn more about the creatives and community members involved.
Melding together new recordings of local bands, choirs and soloists with the surprising sounds of the Kirklees countryside and wildlife, the genre-defying HERD soundscape will emanate from the 23 larger-than-life musical sheep sculptures created especially for this project.
Plus, keep your ears and eyes open for a rebel sheep and subversive soundscapes turning up in strange places.
‘I have given rough guidelines to the sound artists, and they are coming back with wonderful surprising soundscapes that I would never have dreamed up myself. Exciting!” – Orlando Gough
Jiggit
One of the sheep isn’t following the rest of the HERD…
Punk has a long history in Huddersfield, where The Sex Pistols did their last-ever gig. Look and listen out for Jiggit, a Vivienne Westwood-inspired punk sheep with a soundscape made by young musicians (aged up to 19 yrs) from Kirklees, roaming wild across the district from 14 – 16 July. See the full credits for the songs included in Jiggit’s soundscape below.
Find Jiggit in locations across Kirklees:
Friday 14 July
13:00: Passing nearby Mirfield Newgate Weir
14:00: Passing nearby Milnsbridge Lock
15:00: Meltham Skate Park, 16 Thomas Wroe Way, Meltham, Holmfirth HD9 5AN
16:00: Passing by Slaithwaite Lock
17:00: Slaithwaite Youth Centre, The Civic Hall, The Civic, 15A New Street, Slaithwaite, Huddersfield HD7 5AB
18:00: Jiggit returns to Meltham Skate Park
Saturday 15 July
Jiggit joins the rest of the HERD to travel through the towns of Batley, Dewsbury and Cleckheaton to join the Mother Sheep in St George’s Square, Huddersfield at 20:00.
JIGGIT'S SOUNDSCAPE
- 60-40 by Michael Roche (vocals)
- Explanations avoid confrontations by The First ones (Doug James – Guitar + Lead vocals, Dan James – Bass + Backing vocals, Will Wright – Drums + Backing vocals)
- Get on your knees by Sam Butterfield (Guitar and vocals)
- High School by Mason White (vocals)
- Yet by Mason White (vocals)
- I Won’t Let Her Go by Slutty Mary (Michael and Charlotte)
- Parallel Universe by The First ones (Doug James – Guitar + Lead vocals, Dan James – Bass + Backing vocals, Will Wright – Drums + Backing vocals)
- Imaginary Death by Tillie-Mai Hawker
- The Future is the Future by East Bierly Primary School (Year 5 & Debo/Donovan Brown)
- Into the Future Just Take a Look by Robbertown Primary School (Year 5 & Debo/Donovan Brown)
With thanks to all the young people who submitted songs to be included in Jiggit’s soundscape, Yorkshire Youth & Music and Vibration Studios
Schools
Over 900 local school children have been involved in helping to design and decorate ‘Kindra’, one the 23 sheep in the HERD.
As part of the schools’ programme for HERD, primary school pupils have been taking part in workshops to learn the words and music to Yan Tan Tethera. They will perform the song to Kindra as she tours Kirklees schools during the week that HERD takes place.
HERD has also spread its woollen web wide amongst local youth across the Kirklees region. Rap artist Donovan Christopher (Debo) has worked with groups of schoolchildren and young people to create two spoken word pieces that will form part of the soundscape for Jiggit, the youth sheep. Sing & Sew is another strand aimed at young people, with creative workshops focused on the cultural and industrial heritage of Kirklees, working in partnership with WOVEN and supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
We are grateful to the following Kirklees schools for playing an important part in HERD:
Take a look behind-the-scenes via Artichoke’s TikTok channel.
LEAD CREATIVES
Devised by Orlando Gough and created by Sebastian Frost, John Del’ Nero and eight local sound artists, the soundscape for HERD is a life affirming cacophony of musical genres and sounds.
Orlando Gough
HERD is devised by Orlando Gough.
Orlando Gough is a composer (and sometimes lyricist, librettist, music director, MC, recording engineer, cookery writer), who writes operas, choral music, music-theatre, music for dance and theatre, and creates large-scale site-specific work.
SEBASTIAN FROST
Sebastian Frost is lead Sound Designer for HERD.
Sebastian has designed sound for plays, musicals and opera in London’s West End and on Broadway, and from Cape Town to Sydney. In 2008 he received the first ever ‘Best Sound Design for a Musical’ Tony Award nomination for Sunday In The Park With George.
Immersive soundscape design is often a focus for his work. Sebastian has created the sounds for a unique range of exhibitions, visitor experiences and art installations.
JOHN DEL’NERO
John Del’Nero is working with Sebastian Frost on the sound design for HERD.
John began his career in London’s West End on productions such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Billy Liar and Jeeves.
He designed the sound for the original Rocky Horror Show and was the Sound Designer for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo for 24 years. He has worked for Royal Families in the UK and abroad including Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
John has previously worked with Artichoke on Ready to Drop in collaboration with Orlando Gough, Hilary Westlake’s Dining with Alice and Deborah Warner and Fiona Shaw’s Peace Camp.
DAVE YOUNG
The HERD sheep have been designed by Huddersfield-based artist Dave Young, working with heritage craft practitioners, each sheep with its own unique identity.
Dave is an artist, maker, bodger, artificer, and apprentice rogue alchemist. Since 1995 he has worked as a sculptor, animator and film-maker, blacksmith, metalworker, pyro-technician, set-builder, puppeteer and workshop leader.
He works closely and collaboratively with many other artists, dreamers, makers, musicians, performers and technicians, designing & making giant puppets, mechanical beasts, installations and machineries of joy for outdoor arts events, festivals & processions.
He started his working life with the pioneering celebratory arts company Welfare State International and has worked closely with companies such as Macnas, Pa-Boom and Walk the Plank.
His work is collaborative, wistful, and humorous, filled with joy, created for the love of it, and made with genuine blood, sweat and tears. He is based in West Yorkshire, UK, although he mostly lives in a country of his own imagining.
Charlie Morrissey
Charlie Morrissey is the Director of Movement for HERD.
Charlie has worked in live performance since 1988. He has collaborated on, devised and directed large and small scale pieces in different landscapes: on the shoreline, in the sea, on cliffs, in the street, in parks, theatres, galleries and buildings ranging from a castle to a glass house. He’s also worked as a performer, teacher and director in many different countries around the world.
Charlie organises and produces Wainsgate Dances, a programme of dance at Wainsgate Chapel in Yorkshire, with his partner Rob Hopper, which aims to make dance happen in a non-institutionalised space.
Sound Artists
HERD is a unique artistic collaboration between artists and local people. Seven local sound artists were commissioned to compose three soundscapes each. The artists used our bank of field recordings, as well as their own to create their musical compositions.
Orlando Gough, Sebastian Frost and John Del’Nero worked together to mix these sounds with the recorded performances by the choirs, bands and soloists involved in HERD into a richly layered soundscape.
Jaydev Mistry
Jaydev Mistry is a professional musician and composer.
His work has ranged from running music workshops, sound recording and composing music to directing music for theatre performances and creating installations and lighting.
Sam Hodgson
Sam Hodgson, aka Samh is a West Yorkshire based songwriter.
He also runs workshops in song writing, singing, creative writing and recording.
Chris Ruffoni
Chris Ruffoni is an artist and musician based in Marsden, West Yorkshire, working with sound, music and sculpture.
He designs chaotic mechanical systems inspired by nature and combines them with musical instrument design to create works for outdoor installation and performance.
His work has been shown at art and music festivals including Supernormal, Green Man, End of the Road and Kensington and Chelsea Art Week.
Monty Adkins
Monty Adkins is a composer and performer of experimental electronic music. He primarily creates digital audio works and installations.
Using a reduced sonic range, his work often combines instrumental and electronic sound and draws together elements from ambient, minimal electronica and acousmatic genres.
Jo Kennedy & Yorkshire Women’s Sound Network
The Yorkshire Sound Women Network (YSWN) was founded in 2015 by women working in the sound technology industry who wanted to use their skills and influence to address gender and racial inequality.
Their mission is to support a flourishing industry which welcomes, encourages and progresses the inclusion of women and people of marginalised genders at all levels from the studio to the boardroom, and reflects the diversity of participating communities.
Sound designer and artist Jo Kennedy works with the YSWN. She’s particularly interested in projects which use sound creatively to connect people with nature and their local environment.
Sunil Kalyan
Sunil Kalyan is an international bhangra percussionist, music producer and composer.
Hoot Creative Arts
Hoot Creative Arts is an arts and mental health charity based in the town centre of Huddersfield, England. Running for 20 years, Hoot Creative Arts offer a diverse range of creative activities that support mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Soloists
HERD is a unique artistic collaboration between artists and local people. Five West Yorkshire-based solo musicians are part of HERD’s musical programme.
Orlando Gough, Sebastian Frost and John Del’Nero worked together to mix new recordings of performances by these artists together with compositions by the sound artists and recorded performances by choirs and bands into a richly layered soundscape.
All of the musicians will also perform as part of the finale event on Sunday 16 July.
Ruby Wood
Ruby Wood’s distinctive and soulful vocal tones have led to global success as the frontwoman of Submotion Orchestra and to her being an in-demand collaborator for musicians and producers, such as Bonobo, Nubiyan Twist, The Sugar Sisters, Alfa Mist, Linden Jay and Jordan Rakei to name a few.
Ruby is currently embarking on an ‘unplugged’ tour with Submotion Orchestra and working on her new solo album.
Thabo Mkwananzi
Huddersfield-based singer Thabo Mkwananzi (THABO) produces music that aims to educate, entertain and empower the listener.
Born in Zimbabwe, he started singing in church where he and his childhood friends formed an acapella group. After moving to the UK he joined a hip hop soul band and honed his craft as a songwriter and a performer. Since then he has released 3 solo EPs and toured with Seal and collaborated on music with Idris Elba and Naughty Boy.
His inspirations include Bob Marley, Michael Jackson and Dolly Parton.
Thabo is passionate about helping others discover and develop their own artistic expression.
Noah Burton
Noah Burton is a multi-instrumentalist musician, creative producer and events coordinator from Huddersfield.
He runs Under Wraps Music, which represents several music ensembles and curates live music events and is co-founder of Onwards Festival, a multi-venue event.
He has played in bands since an early age and has performed with many musical ensembles including the Soul/Electronic group Extra Curricular.
Seyed Mohammadreza Beladi
Seyed Mohammadreza Beladi is a Music Researcher and director of ‘The Leymer Folk Music and Dance Group of Bushehr’, which he established in 1994. He has performed at many international folklore festivals with his own music and dance group.
He is the author of the book Music of Bushehr and its Origins, published in Iran in 2021.
Rob Bradley
Rob Bradley is a world championship-winning freestyle rapper, a published poet and a multiple time TEDx talker. He has performed around the world, from underground clubs in New York to festivals throughout Europe and has collaborated with international artists along the way.
He uses his rap skills to help young people explore the genre and find and develop their voice.
Supriya Nagarajan
Supriya Nagarajan is a vocalist/composer based in Yorkshire . She has a unique voice in the British music scene and creates concept driven immersive music productions that push boundaries and encourage thought.
She has performed across the world in various venues and festivals like the Harpa in Reykjavik, Royal Albert Hall, WOMAD, QEH Southbank Centre, Casa Da Musica and the Zee Jaipur Litfest music stage. Her works like Lullaby Sonic Cradle, Sound of Tea and Bollywood Jazz project have won critical acclaim and earned her a niche reputation in the UK and beyond.
Supriya is also founder and CEO of Manasamitra, an artist-led organisation based in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. Manasamitra produces a range of exciting and original cross-cultural experiences from music events to artistic interventions in social and community settings.
Martin Chung
Martin Chung is a guitarist and composer based in the North of England. He is currently in the final year of a degree in Music Technology at the University of Huddersfield.
He has collaborated with musicians including Jah Wobble, Extra Curricular and Dana Ali.
Bryony & Alice
Yorkshire-based folk singers Bryony Griffith and Alice Jones form the duo, Bryony & Alice.
Their contemporary style combines the fiddle, harmonium and tenor guitar with intricate and distinctive Yorkshire vocals.
Choirs & Bands
Eight local groups, choirs and bands are part of HERD’s musical programme.
Orlando Gough, Sebastian Frost and John Del’Nero worked together to mix new recordings of performances by these groups together with compositions by the sound artists and recorded performances by the soloists into a richly layered soundscape.
All of the choirs and bands will also perform as part of the finale event on Sunday 16 July.
Huddersfield Choral Society
Huddersfield Choral Society is the North’s leading independent choir.
HCS’ busy schedule is centred on its own subscription concert season in Huddersfield Town Hall, including its annual performances of Messiah.
The choir also performs in other major concert venues in the UK and abroad, it regularly broadcasts for BBC radio and television, and has a long history of pioneering recordings.
Huddersfield Community Gospel Choir
The HCGC is a gospel music choir.
Their mission is to bring diverse audiences together through life affirming roots and gospel music. Through performance, workshops, and other community-based activities, they seek to uplift, enrich, and educate.
Shepley Singers
The Shepley Singers are a 50 strong group of amateur singers who come together under the direction of Bryony Griffith to perform 4-part a cappella arrangements of traditional folk songs.
Formed in 2007 to perform at the first Shepley Spring Festival, the group now have a Spring repertoire and a Winter repertoire of traditional folk songs.
Hade Edge Brass Band
Hade Edge Brass Band are a Section Band based in the village of Hade Edge, near Holmfirth, Yorkshire.
Formed in 1908, the band has a history spanning over 112 years. They perform the brass band classics and also innovate with new and dynamic arrangements from a variety of Composers.
The Skelmanthorpe Brass Band Community
Based in the village of Skelmanthorpe, The Skelmanthorpe Brass Band Community encourages both young people and adults to pick up brass or percussion instruments and learn how to play them.
The community includes The Skelmanthorpe Band, The Skelmanthorpe Prospect Brass, The Skelmanthorpe Training Band and the Skelmanthorpe Mini Band (a group of fledgling musicians), supporting around 100 brass and percussion players between the ages of 6 and 86.
Field Recordists
In early 2023, we approached We In Front Walking Group, a local walking group made up of a number of local musicians, who we thought would be the perfect people to capture the sounds of Kirklees.
Sophie Cooper, a musician and sound artist based in Huddersfield facilitated the recordings over a few walks with the group in February 2023.
The recordings were made around Slaithwaite, Magdale, Blackmoorfoot Reservoir and Folly Dolly Falls.
What is “Field Recording”?
Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside a recording studio. It’s all about capturing audio straight from the source, no matter where it is. The recordings can range from natural to human-made sounds to natural and underwater sounds.
We In Front Walking Group
We In Front are a walking group founded by Errol Hamlet and Rocky Joseph in 2020.
They initially started walking together during the Covid Lockdown and it subsequently became a way of coping for Errol to cope with his grief after the sudden death of his wife. Errol is so enthusiastic and persuasive that soon other members of the local West Indian community joined the group.
The group organises up to four walks a week in the local countryside, varying in length between 3 and 8 miles. Without maps, they often get lost or stray into places they shouldn’t be, but they bring such a positive energy with them that even the grumpiest farmer or gamekeeper is always mollified in the end.
Errol and Rocky are originally from Carriacou. Throughout their time living in Huddersfield, they have been stalwarts of the annual Caribbean Carnival which takes place each July in Greenhead Park. In the 1970s they were also founders of the Mash-It-Up Parang Band. They sometimes bring their instruments on their walks and often sing in the great outdoors.
The participants in the Field Recording for HERD were:
ALIDA GULAMHUSSEIN
BERTRAND QUASHIE
CYNTHIA MATHIESON
ERROL HAMLET
GOPAL DUTTA
JOE MATHIESON
JUDITH CUNNINGHAM
LOKI THE DOG
PEDRO WELCH
PHIL WOOD
ROCKY JOSEPH
ROY CORION
SONIA STEER
WINSTON BILLY
About Artichoke
Leading UK arts producers, Artichoke, works with artists to create extraordinary and ambitious public art in cities, the countryside and on coastlines around the UK. Artichoke believes in the transformative power of art to undermine the mundane and disrupt the everyday to create a new kind of world that we’d all like to live in.
Over the last 16 years Artichoke has produced more than 25 ground-breaking productions including the inaugural Artichoke project, Royal de Luxe’s The Sultan’s Elephant (London in 2006); La Machine’s 50-foot high mechanical spider for Liverpool’s Capital of Culture celebrations (2008); Antony Gormley’s One & Other commission for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square (2009); Lumiere, the landmark light art biennial events produced in Durham, Derry-Londonderry and London; Deborah Warner’s Peace Camp commission for the London 2012 Festival with Fiona Shaw and London’s Burning, a festival commissioned by the City of London Corporation to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London (2016). Recent projects include Sanctuary (2022), the 65ft Covid memorial, designed by American artist David Best and built by 500 community members, set alight in a moment of catharsis for the nation and The Gallery (2022), a new public art initiative taking over billboards and digital screens with art, sparking national conversation.
KIRKLEES YEAR OF MUSIC
In 2023, it’s all about the music, as Kirklees shines a light on the rich and diverse musical heritage of the district.
Kirklees will be the place to hear world class music from brass bands to bhangra, singer-songwriters to school choirs, the best in jazz and folk, to music theatre and orchestras. Welcoming visitors from across the district and beyond to a year-long celebration of music that will create a vibrant soundtrack, played in the hearts and home of the area’s towns and villages.
A place where children and young people have access to high quality musical experiences and education; and where the next generation of musicians and music professionals are supported to build and sustain a career.
Kirklees will welcome visitors from across the region and beyond to a year-long celebration of music that will create a vibrant soundtrack, played in the hearts and home of its towns and villages. Everyone is invited to be part of a community that lives and loves music.
Discover other events happening as part of Kirklees Year of Music
@musicinkirklees #KYOM23
