COVENTRY Cathedral will play host to a world premiere next month as part of the UK City of Culture celebrations when British Police Symphony Orchestra will play a special version of The Specials’ Ghost Town.
The British Police Symphony Orchestra play to a full house at the Royal Albert Hall.
The piece has been arranged by local musician, singer arranger and producer, Harvey Brough especially for the concert on May 7. This is the first time it has been performed anywhere in the world.
The founder of The Specials, Jerry Dammers agreed that the orchestra – whose members are police officers and staff – could play the tune when city officers asked him be involved in the gig which is a thank you to the city. They recognised that a concert at an iconic location needed an iconic hometown hit.
As well as the Ghost Town premiere performance, the orchestra will play music by Bob Marley, Suad Bushnaq, Camille Saint-Saëns, Antonin Dvorak, Natalie P Hall Rick, Rick Wakeman and many more. There will also be Irish and Indian dancing.
The concert has been organised by West Midlands Police as part of our contribution to Coventry UK City of Culture celebrations.
In addition to playing a part in making sure events are safe and secure, West Midlands Police have been exploring how the arts can help reach new audiences, talk about challenging topics and make a difference.
Projects include:
Barriers to Bridges which examines the relationship between Coventry’s Black and Asian young people and West Midlands Police
See the Bigger Picture – a project with the city’s homeless communities to help us understand their issues, develop our knowledge of local support services and explain our approach to issues they are associated with such as begging
Forest Camps with teenagers that are helping us understand why they’re scared to use the city’s 31 parks and what could be done to make them more appealing to young people
In Art we Trust sees young people explore the issue of violence against women and girls, how to safely intervene and the policing response
The sessions have been funded by cash seized from criminals for the good of local people.
The family friendly evening will be hosted by Trish Adudu.
Ticket prices for the event are £8 for children and £12 for adults – available from here.
All money from the sale of tickets will go to charities, Coventry Music hub and Artspace Coventry who transform local lives through music.
Ghost Town was released on June 12, 1981, and spent three weeks at number one in the UK charts. It is The Specials most famous and most awarded song.
It tackles themes of violence and unemployment in British cities.
Coventry Cathedral has been named one of the country’s favourite buildings.
It is recognised as a symbol of hope around the world and an international centre for peace and reconciliation.
For decades it was a place where people escaping persecution could find sanctuary.
That spirit continues in the city today.
Formed in 1989, The British Police Symphony Orchestra have played sell out concerts around the world including at the Birmingham Symphony Hall and the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Members regularly hold workshops for schools, hospitals and community groups.
Its chairman is West Midlands Police Chief Constable Sir David Thompson.
