Plug It Up is a sonic arts festival produced by Bradford Sound Wom*n Network, in partnership with Yorkshire Sound Women Network.

Taking place this October at Theatre in the Mill, it will feature local artists platformed alongside national and international artists across this 3 day event:

• Bells & Whistles Scratch Orchestra Workshop: Oct 17th, 3-5pm. Make sound scores 3 dimensional in this Spatial Composition Workshop, led by organist and musicologist Dr Rebekah Okpoti.
• Spitting Yarns | Sound Poetry Open Mic: Oct 17, 5-7pm. Sound Poet Carrianne Vivannette will be leading this intro into sound poetry, introducing seminal works in the field that focus on the playful, radical, and dramatic. Carrieanne introduces seminal works in the field. You can have a go yourself, or just listen.
• Drawing Session | Ann Rosén Performance: Oct 17, 7pm. Artist Ann Rosén will be arriving from Sweden to perform Drawing Sounds using her invention the Pencil Barrier/Graphite Barrier, an instrument that relies on the conductive quality of graphite to produce electronic sounds.
• Pom-Pom Synth Workshop: Oct 18, 1-3pm. Create your own playful, tactile pompom synths in this hands-on workshop and explore e-textiles in electronic instrument building with Sam Topley — no experience needed!
• Open Wave-Receiver Radio Workshop: Oct 18, 3-5pm. Shortwave Collective invite you to make a very simple radio with us!Build a simple, self-powered Open Wave-Receiver with Shortwave Collective and experiment with antennas, signals, and creative radio-making in an inclusive, hands-on workshop.
• Spin Off | Open Decks DJ: Oct 18, 5-7pm. Join Helen Stead to create ambient soundscapes using MP3 and Rekordbox in this informal, drop-in DJ session.
• Abstract Turntablism | Maria Chávez Performance: Oct 18, 7-9pm. Maria Chávez’s will be arriving from New York to transform broken vinyl into live sonic collages and invites the audience to engage and play with the records.
• Junk Instrument Orchestra Workshop: Oct 18, 2-4pm. Bring the kids to transform discarded materials into playful, collective noise and explore rhythm, texture, and improvisation together with Margarita Novikova.
• Discover new work by emerging Bradford sound artists exploring feminist perspectives, climate, and environmental justice at the Gallery II Closing View on Sunday.

Tickets are available via Eventbrite!

Bradford Sound Wom*n Network arrange meet-ups, sessions and workshops for women, womxn and people of gender minorities to learn and share skills in DIY sound based creative activity.

Yorkshire Sound Women Network strive to support a flourishing industry which welcomes, encourages and progresses the inclusion of women and people of minority genders at all levels from studio floor to board room, and reflects the diversity of its participating communities.

This project is supported by the Bradford 2025 Artist-led Project Awards programme.

Find out more about this programme and the projects we’ve supported below.