The Social Conscience of the Song

A musical, interactive presentation on a very musical history

The Playhouse (Main Theatre)
Thurs June 22 @ 7.30pm Tickets £5
Box Office: 02871 268027

After his recent success delivering a musical lecturer presentation as part of the City of Derry Jazz festival, musician and lecturer Dr Liam Campbell returns to the Playhouse - this time with fellow academic and composer Dr Christopher Norby to offer an interactive, musical performance and discussion on the history of songs of conscience.

This musical journey will trace the rich heritage of songs that resonate in harmony with the deeper rhythms of each age. The presentation will trace the history of the power of songs and explore the clear parallels between songs of conscience and the social, cultural, and political realities of their age.

As part of this multimedia presentation Liam and Christopher will perform a selection of these songs. Both Liam and Christopher are members of  Irish Progressive Rock band Dead Heroes Club – tagged by critics as “Ireland’s only current Prog-rock outfit”. Artists featured in the presentation will include Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Elvis Presley, Pink Floyd, Suzanne Vega, Peter Gabriel, The Sex Pistols and Green Day. Liam and Chris will be joined by special guest, renowned singer Dr Anne Tracey. The focus will be on fun, singalong, discussion and exploration of themes and context.

The show kicks off at Derry’s Playhouse at 7.30pm on Thursday June 22 – early booking is advised

Brief Bios:

Dr. Liam Campbell is a lecturer in English, Community Relations officer, and an independent writer and scholar, who is published both creatively and academically. He has given many talks across Europe and America on Creative writing, the literature of the 20th Century, and the creative impulse. Liam is also a playwright and a singer / songwriter and has released 3 studio alums as vocalist and lyricist with Ireland’s only Progressive Rock band Dead Heroes Club

Dr Christopher Norby has been working on a professional freelance basis since 2007 as a composer of concert music, theatre music and videogame music. In 2011 he completed a PhD in composition. He has been commissioned by some of the UK and Ireland’s leading organisations and performing groups, including BBC Radio 3 (Ulster Orchestra), Vanbrugh Quartet, Brodsky Quartet, Concorde, NI Opera, Echo Echo Dance Theatre and the Verbal Arts Centre. His music has been performed across Ireland and the UK, Slovenia, Japan and the USA. He has produced original scores for numerous apps and games on iOS and android. Christopher currently works for the University of Arizona and is also the keyboards player with Dead Heroes Club.

Dr Anne Tracey: fresh from her success in a series of critically acclaimed shows as part of the Dery City of Jazz festival, Anne is a renowned and gifted vocalist and a lecturer in Psychology with Ulster University.

Below An original song "Truth" featuring Liam & Chris driven by themes of social conscience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE9fj8oogFE