Live Crew

Manchester

“They play ‘emotional hardcore’, like the Goo Goo Dolls,” enthuses Mark Norcliffe. “I bought their first record last year and I’ve seen them play around town. Now I’ve met them and they’re really friendly. The guitarist even wrote down all the chords to their songs for me.”

Mark is talking about the young Manchester band Kid Conspiracy, which is participating in a unique project to give young people in the city an insight into career opportunities in the music industry. The four-strong group are all under 21 and are still students at North Trafford college, where they are enrolled on the contemporary popular music course of the “access to music” programme. Mark, 16, who is studying for 10 GCSEs at Wright Robinson sports college in Manchester, hopes to take up a place on the same course next September. He’s already played guitar in several amateur bands and is putting a new group together. He writes his own songs, plays drums and bass, and sings. “This is what I’ve always wanted to do since before I can remember,” he says. “It would be great if I could be in a band. But I’d be happy to get a job in music on any level.”

He has the opportunity to work with Kid Conspiracy through Live Crew, a month-long course developed by the Manchester arts centre Cornerhouse, in collaboration with North Trafford college. The project accompanies an exhibition called Air Guitar: art reconsidering rock music, which is being shown at Cornerhouse until November 3. “We wanted to put on local bands in the evening as a focus for the exhibition,” says Kath Welford, the gallery’s education officer. “Then we thought, rather than just booking bands, we could link them in with an educational project.”

Steve Barlowe, programme leader of North Trafford’s access to music course, was only too happy to collaborate. “We’ve got 240 students, but this is an opportunity to reach younger people and get them involved for the first time.”

Aimed at 14 to 19-year-olds thinking about a career in music, Live Crew opens with an introductory session in which Kid Conspiracy explains the workings of a recording studio and other guest speakers lead discussions on aspects of the music business. There are also opportunities to attend the band’s rehearsals and to work as part of the technical crew on a live performance at Cornerhouse on November 3, when there will also be guitar and percussion workshops. The gig will be recorded for CD release.

Students on Live Crew are not only designing the publicity materials and a CD cover, but will also participate in every aspect of the record’s post-production. “The project had to be exciting and hands-on in a way that makes everyone feel involved,” Kath Welford explains.

Some of those who have signed up heard about Live Crew through school. “I told my careers master I wanted to work in the music industry,” says Mark Norcliffe. Others were recruited by word of mouth. “A friend rang me on a Friday afternoon and asked me what I was doing at the weekend,” says 16-year-old Anna Vshivoka. A design student from Parrs Wood technology college, she turned up on Saturday morning at Cornerhouse and found herself spending the weekend designing a new logo for Kid Conspiracy and a poster for their gig. “The band talked about style and image and what they wanted to get across,” she says. “I had some ideas but I thought they were a bit too girly and I decided I couldn’t do anything until I’d heard their music. The design needed to reflect their personality.”

Between them, half a dozen students produced 15 design concepts, which were all posted on a wall. Kid Conspiracy picked the ones they considered worth developing, including Anna’s ideas. She spent time working with professional designer Chris Hemmings, and, by Sunday afternoon, a highly professional poster had taken shape on her computer screen. “It’s been great because I’ve learned new techniques and worked with people I wouldn’t otherwise have met,” she says. She’s still unsure what career she wants to pursue, but thinks the design side of the music industry is a possibility. “This is as close to real life as I can get at the moment.”

At the higher end of the age range, Tim Fung, 19, is “between jobs”. He has A-levels in graphics, design and photography, and produced a CD cover as an exam project. He, too, signed up for Live Crew after hearing about it “from a friend”. Now he’s been charged with producing a flyer for the Kid Conspiracy gig and has come up with a dramatic black and white design, based on images from various magazine pictures and superimposed with the striking outline of a gas mask.

“They don’t really make my kind of music, but they’re good,” he says. “The design came out of listening to their music and talking to them about what textures and images they liked. It’s a really good experience and the bonus is that it’s going to look good in my portfolio and on my CV.”

Kid Conspiracy are equally enthusiastic about Live Crew. “The designs they’ve come up with are great. They really grasped the idea of what our music is all about,” says singer J P Cooper. “And they’re coming along to rehearsals and getting involved on every level. I wish I’d found something like this when I was 14.”

The Live Crew project continues until November 3, when Kid Conspiracy will perform at the Cornerhouse, 70 Oxford St, Manchester. Further information from Kath Welford on: 0161 228 7621. l More rock and roll at the British Library, where National Sound Archive recordings of number one hits from 1952 (the birth of the charts) to the present day feature in an exhibition until January 7. See www.bl.uk