‘What about Us?’ Examining popular music and leisure interrelationships in the post‐industrial city.

Abstract

This paper centres on the dynamic interrelationship between popular music and leisure, drawing on the concepts of soundscapes (Bennett, 2000), urban mythscapes (Bennett, 2002), and symbolic use (Gilroy, 1993). The paper draws from two local authority (public sector funded) popular music projects supported by Leeds City Council in the north of England, Urban Fusion and Urban Breeze which operated in 2007. Qualitative research data gathered via observations and semi‐structured interviews is used to highlight the significance of popular music as part of young people's leisure; it also demonstrates how individuals negotiate continuing and evolving involvement with popular music as their ‘lifescapes’ develop and change. Discussion developed throughout highlights the need for further theoretical engagement with how leisure and popular music interrelate. Consideration is also given to how urban regeneration strategies that often champion popular cultural/arts forms could benefit from incorporating a ‘leisure lens’ to inform cultural policy initiatives.

Key words:

• Leisure
• popular music
• soundscape
• symbolic use