Marsden Mechanics: Summer of music including Onwards Festival at Colne Valley's community venue
As Marsden Mechanics enjoys a bumper summer of live music, development manager Jonny Kelly tells John Blow what the village and venue mean for him.
When Jonny Kelly and his wife Esther-Grace moved from London to Marsden a couple of years ago, a perfect role was advertised at the Marsden Mechanics, the much-loved venue in the village west of Huddersfield.
They used to come up quite often to visit her parents and it left an impression on her husband. “I fell in love with the place every time I came here, I just thought it was so beautiful,” says Jonny.
“The scenery is incredible. It's breathtaking, you're right at the start of the Colne Valley, so there’s hills either side and a rugged, gorgeous landscape.
"But on top of that, it also had a really vibrant art scene. There was Marsden Jazz Festival, which was one of the biggest jazz festivals of its kind in the country, and there was Mikron Theatre Company – that was two Arts Council-funded, amazing organisations operating out of a big village/tiny town, with a population of about 3,000 people.”
Jonny has lived in the capital for most of his life, attending the East 15 drama school at the age of 18 and meeting Esther-Grace (née Button). The actor got into producing and directing theatre, and running community workshops. Like many families, they reassessed after the pandemic and moved up North.
Jonny says: “Lo and behold, a job came up with the Mechanics, and the job was business and community development manager.
"It was a really blank canvas of a job description, really. They were taking pitches from different types of people – some people pitched it to be a wedding venue and different types of building to serve the community.
"I pitched them the idea of a community-focused arts and cultural venue with a programme that would have cultural activity groups, arts events, and then community initiatives always focused on or around art in its different forms. They seemed to like the idea and now, two years later, here we are.”
The building dates back to 1860 but after falling into disrepair and set for demolition in the 1970s, campaigners fought for it to have Grade II-listed status. The Marsden Community Association successfully petitioned for the restoration of the space in the 1990s and, in 2017, the Mechanics was once again back in the hands of the community after Kirklees Council transferred the asset to the Marsden Community Trust, a local charity.
Jonny gave a special mention to board members – Tom Lonsdale, Jo Warmington, Martin Collett, Jane Hurn, Louise Warwick, Adrian Lord and Felicity Fuller – for their role in keeping the building going.
Earlier this year, the venue announced a new programme of live music, supported by Arts Council England. Consisting of five live music events, the programme supports more than 80 artists performing unrepresented genres in the area, with the intention of drawing crowds from across Yorkshire. Tickets are £5 so that people who might be struggling with money can attend.
The first event, Valley Voices, took place in May. On Saturday, the venue will host the finale of Onwards Festival, which since 2016 has taken place in Huddersfield but for the first time will be held in the Colne Valley.
It will culminate at the Mechanics with Axis Valv-a-Tron – the original Reggae Revival Sound System – and King Zepha, the composer and producer known for thumping double bass, “global rhythms” and dub delays.
Then on August 16, the Mechanics will welcome the Irish Arts Foundation as it presents Yorkshire v Lancashire, as the rival region’s best folk musicians come up against each other.
The Pat Fulgoni Blues Experience is scheduled to appear on September 6, as the vocalist fronts a soulful five-piece ensemble during an evening of covers and originals.
And on September 15 the Mechanics will have Sonic Threads, the “daring and innovative duo” of Lucy Nolan and Supriya Nagarajan, who combine Eastern and Western influences.
Although Jonny was attracted to Marsden’s art scene, there are social issues which mean some in the area might not be exposed to culture like people living in big cities.
He says: “The reason that we’re focusing on such a diverse and eclectic programme is because Marsden Mechanics is in a really rural community and people are facing significant barriers – financial barriers and geographical barriers – to accessing culture. That just shouldn't be the case.
“I think it's your birthright to be able to experience as many different cultural and artistic experiences as you can. And I just don't think it's really fair that in order to do that, you have to live in a city. I came from London, so all of these different cultural experiences are on your doorstep – whether you wish to engage in them or not, you do become exposed to them.
"I think being exposed to different types of art, different types of culture, really broadens you and I think everyone should get that experience. So that's the draw for putting on such an eclectic range, and we've got really amazing responses from it as well. It's not like it's something that's being forced upon people – people are really willing to engage and really enjoying the offers that we've got.”
He’s often asked if he misses the bustle of the capital, but he comes back to the attitude of the villagers in his new home.
“It is a huge move and it’s definitely a different way of life. But the reason that I moved to Marsden is because I saw it as such a culturally rich place, and that's what drew me to it,” he says. “I've never met a community that's more engaged in not just arts and culture that’s for offer, but engaged in their community, as the people of Marsden.”
For tickets, visit www.marsdenmechanics.co.uk