Bradford 2025 – Built by Sound; Steven Frayne (Dynamo); finale – Brighter Still
South Asian daytimers celebrated – writer Nikesh Shukla speaks to acv about ‘headset experience’…
🔹 Built by Sound opens tomorrow (November 21) – immersive mixed reality show (headsets required) celebrates South Asian daytime clubbing, popularly referred to as ‘daytimers’ – expected to tour other cities
🔹 Steven Frayne (Dynamo) to perform at pop up venue (December 1) – well-known street magician appeared at opening ceremony
🔹 Announcement of ‘Brighter Still’ show – Closing event of Bradford 2025 (December 20)
STARTING tomorrow ‘Built by Sound’ will take people back to Bradford and ‘daytimers’ from different ages.
‘Built by Sound’ is a new, mixed reality interactive installation that explores the culture that emerged in Bradford between the 1960s and 1990s, when young people attended clubs during the day – hence the term, ‘daytimers’.
It is scripted by Nikesh Shukla – whose late mother grew up in Keighley.
Shukla spoke to www.asianculturevulture.com about how inspiring he found it to revisit the past of his family and how this time fostered unity, solidarity and togetherness – when the Far Right were prominent and there outright hostility & violence towards people of colour.
The project also sees Bradford-born and raised presenter and well-known TV personality and one-time ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ contestant Anita Rani and immersive producer Shehani Fernando bring the sights, streets and sounds of those times alive with the passion and knowledge of DJ & music producer Provhat Rahman.
Audience members are presented with headsets and will be guided through a series of scenes of real world situations with virtual and augmented reality to recreate past times and experience ‘daytimers’ as though they are actually there.
As Shukla told us, these parties were celebrations and a joyful, creative and powerful social pushback against racism and community division.
With the headsets, groups of six ‘will be able to walk through the streets’ of Bradford in 1970s, visit Tony Walker’s famous Belle Vue Photography studio and then find themselves in the 1980s, before making their way to a ‘daytimer’.
Rani said: ‘Being part of this project was a surprisingly powerful and emotional experience.
“It took me back to all the things you carry quietly when you grow up moving between different worlds.
“At my mostly white school, my parents were far stricter than the parents of my white friends, and my Asian mates, whose parents were even stricter, were secretly sneaking off to daytimers, creating their own youth culture and sense of freedom.
“I’m incredibly proud to be part of this project, bringing to life an important piece of British social history so we don’t forget, especially now.
“Our stories shape this land, and it’s vital we tell them ourselves, because if we don’t, they get rewritten by others.”
Shukla added: “My mum grew up not far from Bradford and with her friends, as teenagers, was involved in direct anti-racist action. She inspired me to be the person I am. It’s an honour to be a part of this work in this city now.
“With rising fascism, with racists attacking people on the streets, with our politicians kowtowing to far right parties in search of popularity, it feels like an apt time to look to the past for inspiration.
“Daytimers were my first experience of going out, feeling connected with my community and feeling less isolated. The heroes we write about deserve more prominence in our history books. Trying to conjure that youthful feeling of abandon, joy, safety and resistance has been one of the biggest honours of my life, and a responsibility I don’t take lightly. Come along, experience the movement and walk out emboldened, ready to fight.”
Fernando commented: “It’s been fascinating to shape this experience through the voices of those who lived through a transformative time in Bradford’s history. Their stories — from life in the mills and struggles against racism to the rise of Daytimers — reveal the resilience and creativity of Bradford’s Asian community. We wanted to honour that legacy and let audiences step into those stories and capture the essence of that time.”
‘Built by Sound’ is a co-production between No Ghost, Dialled in and Bradford 2025 with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It is also supported through the BFI Doc Society Fund, made possible by National Lottery funding.
Dialled In are a collective of South Asian creatives who culturally curate and bring their sensibility and vibrancy to different and varied projects. No Ghost specialise in interactive projects and immersive storytelling.
Dynamo returns – Magic wizard homecoming
Bradford-born and raised TV magician Steven Frayne (formerly known as Dynamo) returns to the city and Bradford 2025 with a show titled, ‘Back Home and Magical’ – it will be more personal and contain more local references, than his critically acclaimed ‘Up Close and Magical’ and offer an insight into the magic maestro who wowed the crowds and kept them entertained, despite the bitter cold of the Opening Ceremony, ‘Rise’ in January. ACV was there to see it.
Brighter Still – outside event performance, finale
In what will be the final event of Bradford 2025 – hundreds of people will gather at Myrtle Park in Bingley to watch the sunset between Saturday, December 20 and Sunday December 21 and mark the end of the winter solstice and signal hope and renewal for 2026.
There will be BMX bike riding displays, singing, bhangra, poetry and much good cheer for all, say organisers.
Many locals are involved as performers on the evening.
“’Brighter Still‘ promises to spark stories, fire imaginations and fuel lasting memories,” said the Bradford 2025 Team in a press release.
“The event will be one of the largest community participation events in the programme, featuring more than 250 local performers in total, with a community cast of 90 Bradford residents aged from eight to 76 joining forces with dancers, musicians and choirs.”
Children and young people will make up 35 per cent of the participants. The city has one of the youngest populations anywhere in the UK – with more than 25 per cent of residents under 20.
Shanaz Gulzar said of ‘Brighter Still’: “We complete this remarkable year by putting local people centre stage where they belong. ‘Brighter Still‘ will be a dynamic reflection of Bradford, honouring our heritage, marking the present, and looking to the future. As we approach the culmination of Bradford’s time as UK City of Culture, we invite everyone to gather, to celebrate, and to ensure Bradford is seen bolder and brighter than ever.”
This project is led by director Emily Lim, co-director and choreographer, Dan Canham with Bradford-born Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan providing the text; stage and set design by Mydd Pharo, music by Benji Bower, and Warren ‘Flamin Beatz’ Morgan Humphreys.
All pictures: Courtesy of Bradford 2025 except where indicated ©Bradford2025 (do not reproduce or use without prior permission after 2025)
Listings
Built by Sound – November 21-December 14
Loading Bay, 1 Duke Street, Bradford Bd1 3QR
Age 14+
Free but can register time – Built by Sound | Bradford 2025
Steven Frayne – Up Close and Magical
Same venue as above from 7.30pm December 1-7 (check Bradford 2025 for daily times)
Tickets for this event available from https://bradford2025.co.uk/
Also coming up
BBC Introducing – new music artists (November 28)
Comedian Urooj Ashfaq – How To Be a Baddie (November 28)
See all – https://bradford2025.co.uk/
Nikesh Shukla – About — NIKESH SHUKLA
