These clips from the series showcase the project and feature audio taken from the following episodes (in order); Newcastle, Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham, Cardiff / South Wales, and Manchester…

“As a nation, we’ve started to talk to our neighbours, we’ve actually chatted to those walking past with the dog. And life has been so busy in the past, we’ve not had time for this. We’ve stood outside and we’ve clapped hands with people, we’ve chatted, and it think it makes us a little bit more friendlier… We looked to engaging with people more, perhaps, than we ever had time to before. It’s going to be a very strange 12 months or two years ahead. The pandemic is raging, and I think we’ve really got to just concentrate on looking after ourselves and those around us. Being Kind. Engaging with people. Not forgetting people that are on their own and lonely…”

Greatest Hits Radio listener

Cities of Sound was developed as a direct response to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, with two core objectives: to support Greatest Hits Radio listeners during lockdown, and to provide meaningful, paid work experience for media students unable to secure industry placements.

Funded through the Audio Content Fund's Coronavirus Support Round — grants designed to improve lives during Covid-19 — the eight-part series celebrated the musical legacies of major cities across the GHR network. Each episode invited listeners to reflect on their city's musical history, pay tribute to local venues forced to close, and share their experiences of life in lockdown. Musicians, authors, and academics contributed alongside an eclectic regional soundtrack, with presenters including broadcaster Janice Long, actor Joanna Page, and musicians Rick Astley and Ricky Wilson.

The logistical challenge of securing contributors under Covid restrictions was met by working with media students from five UK universities, who recorded interviews remotely using online technologies, carried out research, and sourced historic archival audio with assistance from British Pathé. Audio Content Fund support enabled students to be paid at an industry wage throughout — providing financial support at a particularly difficult time for those entering the sector.

Produced in real time across the summer and autumn of 2020, the series was able to reflect the shifting nature of lockdown and the public mood as it evolved. Episodes aired on Wednesday evenings at 7pm, reaching an audience of 87,000, with Sunday evening repeats reaching a further 54,000 (RAJAR Q4 2019). Programmes were subsequently made available via Listen Again and as an online audio boxset.

Episodes

• Birmingham — 29 July 2020

• Liverpool — 5 August 2020

• Glasgow — 12 August 2020

• Newcastle / Sunderland — 19 August 2020

• Sheffield — 9 September 2020

• Manchester — 16 September 2020

• Cardiff / Swansea — 23 September 2020

• Leeds — 30 September 2020

 Links:

https://www.audiocontentfund.org.uk/projects/cities-of-sound/

https://planetradio.co.uk/greatest-hits/shows/cities-of-sound/