On Saturday 6 November, Dewsbury town centre will be filled with family-friendly festivities – the perfect recipe for a fun day out, with a fantastic selection of entertainment for all ages!
Christmas in Dewsbury will stem from the brand new public space out front of the town hall and across to the Prince of Wales precinct, including a traditional Christmas market, a community music stage, and even a fun Santa’s grotto.
Best of all, everything’s completely free.
Say hello to Santa To make this event as fabulous as possible, we’re working with the Arcade Group – the community organisation set to manage the Dewsbury Arcade when it reopens next year. On the day of the event, the Arcade Group have even agreed to loan out their pop-up shop to Santa for his grotto, and have teamed up with more local businesses to hide some sneaky Christmas elves around the town centre… Do you think you can find them all?
Live performances Our music stage will host loads of local acts throughout the day – including our very own Maisy Brown, bhangra artist Hardeep Sahota, singer Mitchy, the Yorkshire Folk Choir and the Musica Combined Children’s Choir.
Local children’s theatre company Tell Tale Hearts will be performing their much-loved Trunk Tales – through which children can hear stories and adventures from all across the globe – with a special winter theme, along with Topsy Turvy Theatre who, in conjunction with Creative Scene, will be performing their special festive production Christopher’s Christmas.
There’ll be more walkabout performances around the town centre throughout the day, including Christmas elves ‘Ebor n Gum’, Huddersfield Samba, and a beautiful giant barn owl called Thingumajig.
Get creative and crafty There’ll also be lots of opportunities to get crafty at Christmas in Dewsbury! ‘Make and take’ activities through WOVEN will include the chance to make your own festive rag wreath, using recycled textiles, and take it away on the day. The Creative Scene ‘Pow Space’ will provide an open space for art and creativity. And local artist Ruth Dyer is creating a giant interactive colouring wall especially for the event – come along and make your mark.
Location: Dewsbury Town Centre, Dewsbury, WF13 1DQ
Prior Silk has a real talent for turning emotion into sound. Their soft, airy vocals mixed with a piano that’s both gentle and strong create the perfect setting for the story in “I Wanna Build You a Home.” The song draws you in completely, almost like you’ve stepped into a world built from their imagination. With their mix of classical-style instruments and light electronic touches, they share their feelings in a clear and honest way.
The lyrics tell a sweet, heartfelt story about wanting someone you love to have everything they hope for—a place where they feel safe, cared for, and at peace. The whole track feels intimate and vulnerable, something that isn’t easy to capture. Warm, layered harmonies help tie everything together, making the song feel emotionally full and beautifully connected.
As the song moves forward, small details stand out—soft background sounds, gentle vocal moments, and smooth shifts in the music that make the emotion even stronger. These touches show Prior Silk’s ability to craft music that feels personal but still relatable. When the song finally ends, it leaves you with a comforting sense of closeness and mutual understanding.
How did you get into making music? – What started it all for you?
I naturally learnt to play drums when I was in year 7, and that just developed. When I was about 12/13, I massively got into the Beatles. I had a few downloaded songs on my old phone, such as Hey Jude and the No.1 album. When I was 14 (2017), my dad had an old Casio digital piano and an old Beatles songbook, which had the music of the Beatles in it. I remember trying to play Hey Jude and individually studying the notes with my dad just to get the first “hey Jude” and the F chord. For the amount of work it took, it wasn’t worth it. For weeks after, I kept playing little bits of notes and coming up with tunes and melodies. Weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. I never had any piano lessons, as I couldn’t afford them and learning to read music when I had already taught myself my own way just didn’t sit right with me. Eventually, these melodies I came up with developed into more complex note patterns, which were basically chords. I then remember googling the notes of C major and minor, etc., as I did music GCSE, I wasn’t completely unaware of this. I realised that a C major chord is the same as all other major chords and minor chords, whichever note they are. What I’d do is study how many notes are between each played note there are and apply it to any note on the keyboard. Eventually, I learned all chords, and then around 2019, I started to get better at writing tunes. Ever since, I have written full-blown songs and just kept practising and perfecting them constantly. Just having a pure love and a near-obsession with music made me constantly play and sing stuff which became songs.
What does your songwriting process look like?
I pretty much always start with the music. This involves just playing random chord patterns on the piano, which is usually GarageBand on my iPhone when I’m out and about, and on my piano at home and sometimes on my guitar, which I also taught myself. This involves playing chords and just whistling tunes; it’s all subconscious. I just whistle whatever comes out; I never really think about it, just whatever comes naturally to me. A lot of the time, instead of whistling, I’ll just sing random lyrics, and if I like them or they stick, I’ll keep them. Lyrics have never been my strong point, and so they sometimes require more conscious work. To be honest, playing my keyboard is also slightly subconscious; I sort of just think, “What will happen if I play this and then go there after?” Whenever I write a song, it’s all experimental- it’s just trying stuff out, just hearing and feeling how it sounds and if I like it. The whole process of writing music for me is a feeling. If it feels good and sounds good, it’s good. I do have a reasonably good self-taught understanding of music theory, but I never think “I need to follow it”. Just like, for example, how Card Factory starts in F major and modulates to G major for the “Card Factory” lyric and the rest of the song, almost adding excitement to being in a card shop. I think you do need an understanding of music theory and how keys relate to each other though, or else songs can just be bland. If a painter wants to be truly creative, they need to have a very full palette of colours. It’s the same way, I believe you do need a musical understanding because it does help you write. After crafting the music, which is the chords and melody and sometimes lyrics, I’ll then tweak and adjust, change and usually need to add more lyrics.
Who are your main influences?
I was brought up on The Beatles from both sides of my family, and I have a fond memory of my grandad and me singing along to them. They got me into playing the piano and guitar, and music in general was fully opened up to me because of the Beatles. After that, I massively got into the Beach Boys (mainly Brian Wilson) and the Pet Sounds album, which boosted my songwriting inspiration from coming up with some cool tunes on the piano to writing and producing proper songs. My dad has always been into Mozart, and only in the last year or so have I actually become massively into Mozart’s music. Another massive influence is Mac DeMarco, who I discovered in 2020 and whom I recently saw in one of his concerts in Manchester.
How would you describe your song ‘Card Factory?
I was in Card Factory around August 2024 with my girlfriend Kate. We were in there for a good 15 minutes while she was looking for a card for someone, and I got my GarageBand keyboard out on my phone and just started playing chords and singing as I was getting bored. The lyrics and chords and tune literally came all at once. I hadn’t even thought about it. I just started playing and singing, and the whole song came out straight away. At first, I was laughing at the spontaneity of it and playing it to Kate, who was getting embarrassed about me singing a cheesy song about the Card factory while in the card factory next to her. It was a very funny and fun experience. When I later recorded and produced the song at home, I hadn’t really changed anything; it was basically a copy of what I had just come up with while out and about in the card factory. It’s not really about anything apart from literally being in a card shop. It’s a very laid-back and obviously un-serious track.
Is there an album in the making that we can look forward to? If so, what’s the vibe?
I spend most of my time working on projects with my songwriting ‘partner’ and best mate, Jack. Our duo is called ValleyBoy and is totally separate from my own solo work. We’ve finished an EP that will be out soon, with proper artwork called ‘This Little Town’. It’s a very serious piece of work and at the moment is my main focus. It’s set around the decline of Northern towns and industry and is quite political and socially focused. I don’t know what you’d call the genre though. I’d link it in a category similar to what Pink Floyd, Bowie, and slightly, the Beatles are in, maybe? I’m not sure, though. We’re also looking for band members to join ValleyBoy who can play with us live, as we haven’t even done any gigs yet or anything aside from a few open mics at Northern Quarter. Aside from this, I do continue to write my own solo work as well and may potentially be releasing an album of mostly done material, but it probs won’t be for ages. I don’t know when the time is right, even though it’s basically almost done.
What’s next for you?
My girlfriend Kate has nearly finished a lovely and extremely creative animated music video for Card Factory, which she has drawn and used stop motion for. We just need to finish the last few seconds of it, so that should be out very soon. I hope also to soon be performing with a full band for ValleyBoy and have the EP released, and hopefully it’s well-received and known about. I will also keep releasing stuff under my own name.
What was it like to be a student studying music whilst also trying to get your name out there in the industry? – How has studying music affected your musical understanding?
From when I studied music in college, I found my coursework was a great way to motivate myself to build my skills in both performance and production. However, coursework was extremely overwhelming, and I struggled to find the time to work on my solo project whilst also working hard for my grades. I wouldn’t change my choice to have studied music, though, because it’s helped me to raise my understanding of composition, the art of performance and has helped me gain a lot of musical connections.
What got you into making music and specifically folk music?
I’ve loved music from a very young age: I have memories of dancing around the room singing ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ with my dad from when I was two years old, to learning to play ‘Song from Bridget’ with my mum on the ukulele when I was around 7. Singing and performing mean the world to me, and if I could do it every day, I would. I’m not quite sure how I’ve ended up making folk music, as the majority of what I listen to is rock and pop with a lot of other genres in the mix. I’ve found folk to be the only music I’m able to write freely without thinking too much about it and how it’s going to work with other instruments; it’s just me and my guitar.
Who are your main musical influences?
My musical influences change a lot, but my main ones at the moment have got to be Sofia Isella, Ok Goodnight (specifically their vocalist Casey Lee Williams) and Seb Lowe. All create very different sounds, but all are absolutely incredible music.
Have you got anything in the works right now that we can expect soon?
I have a few pieces of work at the moment, but how soon we can expect them is a different question. I produce and record everything at home right now, and, with my limited knowledge and skill with production, I’m struggling to get anything finalised to a standard that I think is acceptable. With regards to producing at home, I find writing is the easier part, although it’s still pretty difficult. I’ve got several songs that haven’t seen the light of day because they’re incomplete or just aren’t up to my usual standards. Recording is fun but extremely hard work and I need a lot of motivation to manage to get any done; the actual recording part is fine but getting the best take and then all the editing afterwards as well as trying to compose extra instruments is so difficult and more days than not I just give up, leaving behind a project until I can come back to it with fresh ears.
What is the story behind your song ‘Love betrayed me’?
‘Love betrayed me’ is honestly quite funny, the more time that passes since I wrote it. I was in a very bad place and struggling with communication in my relationship at the time. I got it in my head and wrote this just a day after I thought everything had finally become clear, my anxiety overwhelming me and leaving me feeling like I couldn’t breathe right. This song became an expression of my anger and was almost like my voice of reason, trying to snap me out of the little delusions I’d trapped myself in. ‘Love betrayed me’ is a reality check up until the last chorus. A drastic change to the first two lines, flipping the song from a rational place of rage to one of hope and longing, almost childlike in a way: “Do you love me, do you love me not? Because I’m getting sick and tired of all these anxious thoughts.” Honestly, I could ramble on about the way I interpret my songs for hours, especially this one. I love getting to analyse writing and go over the potential meanings because a lot of the time, I still haven’t fully understood what I was writing about, or even better, the meaning of the song changes with time, and I get to look at it in lots of new ways.
What does performing your music mean to you?
Performing, in my experience, can be almost euphoric, especially if I’m feeling confident about my setlist. I’m usually extremely nervous and pessimistic before I go onstage, but once I’m there, I’m having such a great time getting to sing my heart out. Whether it’s covers or originals, in a band or on my own, I have so much fun performing, and I would love to get more opportunities to be able to do it much more frequently.
What’s next for you?
I have absolutely no idea what’s next for me. I’m trying to figure out everything all at once for both my personal and musical life. I hope that I’ll get to perform a lot more gigs, write hundreds of songs and release them (with good quality production of course), but I know I struggle to stay motivated and have been in a slump with anything musical for months now, but I’m hoping to bounce back soon. Ideally, I’ll be better than ever when that happens.
Devon Salinas is a singer-songwriter from Leeds who’s investing more into the city with his new single ‘Say It’ which he describes as “the biggest stepping stone in [his] whole music career”. ‘Say It’ opens with some romantic guitar layered over jazzy percussion, making way for intimate lyricism and a smooth bassline to re-enforce that atmosphere. There are uplifting vocals about experiences of love, brighter tones and some background brass. But just as we’re settling in, the chorus turns to minor chords and a shift in perspective tells us that Salinas in fact mourns the bliss of a past relationship. Although the sound remains restful and calm, verse 2 indicates the downhill trajectory of love and its gloomy consequence. Fluctuation is a key theme to this track, as the second chorus picks us up off the ground and quickly moves us towards an emotional, intense string section then final guitar solo. Devon Salinas is impeccable in demonstrating human feelings through his music. This performance of emotion lies even beneath his beautiful lyricism and into the skilled instrumentation of his song.
I actually always find it hard to talk about the stories of my songs as quite often they are inspired by feelings or past times in my life that I find difficult or unable to share openly about and ‘Drunken Tree’ is a key example of that.
