The award-winning creative collective Circle of Light took over Fishergate Point on World Mental Health Day 2024 to celebrate the launch of their fifth album, COL5...
Circle of Light is a music and well-being project aimed at people aged 16-25 who may experience barriers to entering the music industry, such as a lack of opportunity and funding and adverse mental health.
Many performers identify as neurodiverse, and my own experiences working in special education around Nottingham and Mansfield piqued my interest in the event. The bar area was buzzing with anticipation as performers, friends, family, and music lovers waited for the sound checks to be completed and for the gig to start in earnest in front of a healthy crowd in the 150-capacity venue.
The night began with a poem to set the tone, Husna - stage name DreaM17 - performed Spring Has Come with Ruby Boyd on acoustic guitar; she compered the night and linked the
performances with a dry wit and confidence that belies her young years and expertly delivered
in her role throughout the evening.
Next up was Lucy Crisp; the singer has been featured on BBC Introducing, and her EP, 65
Roses, is on Spotify. The title refers to how she learned to pronounce "Cystic Fibrosis", a condition she's lived with since birth. We were also treated to the first-ever live performance of her polished synth-pop track Little Kids.
A highlight of the event was how effortlessly the performers switched between varying styles and genres of music, playing solo and looking equally as comfortable as part of a group. Lucy remained on stage and was joined by rapper NEO17 and guitarist Joshua Todd. They combined seamlessly for the laid-back, beautifully assembled song Iceberg. NEO17 would return later with singer and rapper Danny Riggs.
Ruby Boyd and Nikki shared a heartfelt moment when they duetted on That's OK, a poignant
acoustic song about feeling different and being comfortable with it. Joshua teamed up with someone else with BBC Introducing on their portfolio: Jude Forsey, for Never Letting Go, an indie track which plays into their wheelhouse; while Jude wouldn't look out of place in The Stone Roses, Joshua cites Radiohead and The Killers as musical influences.
But when Oscar Koga-Brownes and J.P Thompson accompanied him, black metal was the order of the day, with a shirtless Oscar chugging "blood" as the group thrashed through A Vow Made in Hollow Faith, with the crowd matching the trio's energy and was a fitting moment to go into the break.
a sound engineer to sing on stage with Sofia, who made their first appearance of the night. COL5 was recorded at HOAM Studios, Nottingham's first all-female-led studio, which she co-
founded.
and won a Youth Music Award; off-stage, she's a Project Producer for Circle of Light and Funding Assessor for Youth Music.
Rajae, Ragtime Tobey, Brooklyn Daniel, and Natalie returned on lead vocals after performing
before the break.
Another impressive aspect is Circle of Light's "everyone mucks in" vibe
The COL5 launch took place on 10th October 2024. Circle of Light launched five years ago working with a group of 30 young people facing mental health issues and barriers to entering the music industry. Working alongside professional musicians and producers, the young people create, record and perform original music culminating with a public performance on World Mental Health day each year. Find out more here.
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