Capturing the everyday sounds of Coventry...

“Coventry is far more than a place where a woman rode naked through the streets 500 years ago or a cathedral that was bombed…”

Grab your headphones and take a walk with a new friend. Be transported to the heart of Coventry and get to know voices you might not encounter in your everyday life - from a City Host turned policeman, to the neurodivergent bedroom artist who flourished with the support of Coventry's City of Culture producers.

Every single voice featured in the 16 episodes of the Our Cov podcast series is from, living or working in Coventry.

Just like we peel back an onion layer by layer, over the duration of each episode we get to know our storytellers as they share their intimate thoughts with us like they would a friend.

Hear how their idea of ‘culture’ has changed, and the impact the 2021/2 City of Culture has had on their lives and careers.

From Canley and Foleshill, to Fargo and The Herbert, spend some time with an LGBTQ+ advocate, a former homeless asylum seeker and Coventry’s first Young Poet Laureate, all accompanied by the distinctive sounds of Cov.

During our binaural soundscape series, we truly hear how the city sounded during this huge year of celebration.

Over ten episodes, we weave through the skateboarders outside The Herbert Art Gallery and Coventry Cathedral, we wander past the trolleys in Cannon Park and walk through the stalls at Fargo Village, hear the buskers and market traders at work in the city centre, listen in awe to the wind in Limbrick Woods and roam along the River Sherbourne in Coundon.

The series features music by the brilliant Coventry-based artist and sound recordist Mintakaa.

Here, have a listen to their track Auriga - this is the theme tune of the podcast!

The podcast is recorded by Coventry-born audio producer Clare Freeman, with the aid of assistant producer Holly Close.

The whole series was created over the course of 7 months on behalf of the Coventry City of Culture trust by her company, A Small Furry Bear Productions.

Press Quote from Clare Freeman, exec producer of the Our Cov Podcast series:

“Using a mixture of interviews and binaural soundscapes, our initial aim was to capture the ‘very ordinary-ness’ of Coventry, and capture the spirit of its people - past, present and future. We also wanted to discover how the City of Culture had been received by those already living and working in the area.

As our recordings unfolded, it really struck me how recurring themes appeared during the interviews - the phrase ‘a place I can be myself’ and words like ‘confidence’, ‘community’, ‘safe’ and ‘home’ came up again and again.

Many of the speakers were rejuvenated and excited about the future for arts and culture in the city, but also felt a deep sense of pride in where they live.

Personally in the process of recording this series I’ve enjoyed exploring and getting to know my home town in a different light. I’ve visited parts of the cities and connected with communities I’ve never had the opportunity to before.

It’s been a truly humbling project to play a part in.

I hope that our audience - whether from Coventry or not - can experience a taste of what the city is about in its present form, and comprehend the impact the City of Culture has truly had within the community.”

As heard on the BBC!