Sounds Of Solace

‘When you’re in a venue, with the connection of the people around you, and you’ve got some music going on, there’s a pool of positive energy and vibes which you can only find in that set of circumstances…’- Tim Smith

In Episode One, Howell speaks to Tim Smith and Sophia Stutchbury of Seaview Studios in Folkestone. Tim is a music producer and songwriter who works alongside his wife, singer-songwriter Sophia Stutchbury, at their Folkestone-based recording studios Seaview Studios. As part of the Sounds of Solace project, Tim and Sophia join the host to talk about the experience of creating Sophia’s song ‘We’ll Get Through This’, and the impact that it had on their lives throughout the lockdown, as well as the wider importance of music and the community of Folkestone on all that they do.

In Episode Two, Howell is joined by El Tyler, a youth worker and student from Folkestone. El is a non-binary creative whose work as a writer and musician has inspired them to explore instrospection and delve deeper into their own humanity, something that was amplified within the isolated nature of the lockdowns.

‘When you think of what people lost through lockdown… For me, just to be able to sit in the car listening to this song and chatting, it was a place where you could almost forget that it was all going on.’ – Julie Howell

In the final episode, Howell opens up a conversation with her mother, Julie, a safe-guarding lead at a local Folkestone school and a keen music fan. Discussing music, connection, and positivity with a familial link as they recall joint memories of their time at home during the COVID-19 lockdown, they break down generational barriers and establish the importance of music in forming unbreakable bonds.