Creative Together’s ‘Be Free, Not Afraid’ Music Festival

After the success of last year’s ‘Be You, Not Them’ Music Festival, our national co-production centre Creative Together held their second annual Festival! This year’s theme was ‘Be Free Not Afraid’, and the day was all about freely expressing individuality. From the moment the crowds arrived and the music began to play, it was clear the acceptance in the room transcended fear of judgement.

Around 80 people (4 festival staff, 4 volunteers, 8 performers and 64 audience members) attended over the weekend. On the Saturday afternoon, everyone gathered in the cosy space for The John Wayne House Band. Frontman Wayne set the tone: “In this room are the nicest people I’ve ever met. You’ve got spirit, soul, mood and beautiful moves. Let’s rock!”

Resident DJ and Creative Together member Stuart played classics from his extensive disc collection spanning all the eras. Stuart said, “I started collecting CDs in 2021, but I’ve been DJing for 42 years. I just love it.”

When asked what kind of music she was hoping for this afternoon, Creative Together member Sara said, “I’m holding out for the Macarena or YMCA. I love something with a bit of rhythm.”

Singer-songwriter Lucy treated everyone to a more mellow set of folk and indie songs. Everyone waved their arms back and forth in unison to her stunning voice. When she sang “What a Beautiful World” by Louis Armstrong, Latour who we support in Denton, joined in and wowed all his friends!

Taking to the stage after Lucy was another singer-songwriter, Aaron. After he played a couple of beautiful numbers he’d written, he followed up with pop favourites such as Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran. Creative Together members in the audience provided a backing rhythm, with Chris on the tambourine, Carole on the maracas and SM on the snare drum.

Not only was there so much excitement and confidence among attendees, there was huge sense of pride to be gathered in Manchester. Wayne and Creative Together manager Zoe took turns to drum up support for Manchester United by singing “Glory, Glory Man United!” Although this briefly divided the room, it came with light-hearted cheering, booing and lots of laughter. During Aaron’s cover of “Wonderwall” by Oasis, everyone got everyone on their feet to do their best Liam Gallagher impression, holding their hands behind their back and swaying from side to side.

A standout poetry set presented a break in the music. Creative Together member Stephen, described by Lauren Norton, Development Worker at Creative Together, as “John Cooper Clarke but better,” performed a brilliant poem called ‘Bricks and Mortar’. This was followed by a poem written by two members under the alias ‘Salty’. They introduced the poem, explaining “It is about journeys with mental health and how I am now free to be happy and alive.” The poem resonated with many and brought tears to their eyes. Read their poem at the bottom of the page.

A lot of hard work had gone into the décor, with dragon murals to represent the idea of embracing yourself in the face of fear. Even the sign for toilets was lovingly made from colourful cloth. Kate and Tyler did a fantastic job selling ‘Be Free, Not Afraid’ t-shirts and tickets on the door, so people could attend the repeated set on the Sunday.

One visitor said, “I’m impressed after coming back for the first time in a while. It’s brilliant.”

Lauren Norton said, “It was so uplifting to see so many people coming together in one space and connecting over a shared love of music. Our highly experienced house band created a great atmosphere and a safe space for first time performers to feel confident and supported. So many people gifted their time to make this event truly memorable, and we couldn’t be more grateful!”

Creative Together member Carolyn accurately summed up the festival: “Today is about togetherness. The people here are from all different backgrounds and we’re all equal – from managers to support workers to members. We are kind, clever and considerate. What is so lovely about today is that in the quiet moments, you can hear people think and in the loud moments, you can hear them experience joy.”

Poem by Salty

The glue that reconnects you
Puts a smile on your face when you’re feeling blue,
Resurrects you when you collapse,
They’re behind you when you’re under attack –
No lack of love.
Guided as if the North Star above,
Understood,
Need not share blood.
They part the heavy clouds of grey,
Erase the woes of yesterday.
I say thank you.
The glue,
A bond so strong,
Trust the words that dance off their tongues,
I belong.
I’m done, where do I turn?
To learn to reaffirm
That life is beautiful.
A life I love
Bears fruits –
Oranges glistening the trees above,
Part of your entity, here for infinity,
Forever your serenity.
To sting like a bee, effortlessly
In the words of the great Ali.
Acclaim your medals
Yet shield your dignity.
Take the time to realise
That the ultimate prize
Is to be alive.
Now I tell myself four words –
Be free, not afraid
Of the shadows in the sunshine,
Of the thunder in the rain.