I first encountered Mr Wilson’s Second Liners when they appeared as part of the ISAN Festival (Independent Street Arts Network) in Bradford during 2016. They were playing on the grass outside city hall to an enthusiastic crowd. Our recent visit to New Orleans with Dr. John and Hugh Laurie put me in mind of their joyful music and so I thought I would share it here today.
They describe themselves as ‘New Orleans meets 90s club classics…A rave funeral without the body.’ Second line is a tradition of funeral brass bands in New Orleans. The First Line is the main section of the parade. Those who follow the band to enjoy the music are called the Second Line. The second line’s iconic performance style, in which participants march with musicians, twirling parasols or waving handkerchiefs is called Ssecond Lining.
A rabble of mischievous northerners forming a traditional New Orleans Second Line. These revolutionary genre bashers knock the First Line sideways, opting for up-beat, dance tracks over traditional slow hymns. Proudly stepping out in uniformed style, they channel the spirit of the 24 hour party people and get audiences dancing whereever they play.
The vision is an anarchic, street theatre extravaganza, bursting with colour and sound, rallying impromptu raves on street corners, rousing audiences young and old into a joyful frenzy. Expending their collective musical talent, they pay homage to the die hard days of the Hacienda, 90s club culture and its greatest hero, Mr. Tony Wilson. Wilson was behind some of Manchester’s most successful bands. He was one of the five co-founders of Factory Records and the founder and manager of the Hacienda nightclub. Wilson was known as “Mr Manchester”, dubbed as such for his work in promoting the culture of Manchester throughout his career.
