Plymouth city centre had a soundtrack of its own on Saturday as Ocean City Sound, the city’s own male voice barbershop chorus, took their performance out of the rehearsal hall and onto Old Town Street.
Dressed in matching blue and bringing their close harmony sound to the heart of the shopping district, the group drew crowds of shoppers and passers by as they worked through a set of classic songs. It’s the kind of pop up performance the group is known for, taking barbershop out of the concert hall and into everyday Plymouth life, where people stumble across it in the middle of a Saturday shop.
Ocean City Sound sing in the traditional barbershop style, close four part harmony, unaccompanied, built around a lead melody with tenor, baritone and bass weaving round it. It’s a sound with roots going back well over a century, and under their lighthouse branded banner Plymouth’s own chorus has built a reputation locally for bringing that style to public spaces rather than keeping it behind closed doors.
The street performance also doubled as something of a recruitment drive. Their pitch is simple. Love to sing? Love being part of a team and having fun? The group holds open rehearsals every Tuesday at 7.30pm at St Budeaux Church Hall, welcoming newcomers of any age to come along and give barbershop a try. No audition, no experience needed, just a willingness to turn up.
They’re not the only local group spreading that message. Grace Notes Acapella, a mixed all inclusive group singing everything from rock and pop to songs from musicals, run their own open rehearsals every Monday evening at BCC Saltash, proof that Plymouth’s appetite for a cappella and close harmony singing runs well beyond one group or one style.
For Old Town Street shoppers on Saturday, it meant an unplanned few minutes of live harmony breaking up the usual retail routine. Proof that a trip into the city centre can still throw up a genuine surprise, and perhaps a nudge for a few passers by to try singing themselves.
Photographs © Wayne Perry / Plymouth Post