On the night of Sunday the 2nd of February, a packed out Clare Cellars bore witness to the debut event of the Cambridge Arts Initiative and Collective (CAIAC), a new and vital organisation with the aim of promoting, connecting, and showcasing all aspects of Cambridge’s talented arts scene. With a distinct focus on interdisciplinary performance, it is fair to say I was excited to see what CAIAC had in store.

Sunday’s performances were devoted to and inspired by shoegaze: that loud, dreamlike soundscape which reverberates around any room in which it is played. My friends’ lax approach to timekeeping meant we entered Cellars with barely a minute to grab a drink before the first band, Cool Ant, took to the stage. With their angelic vocals and brilliant guitar work, they were the perfect way to kickstart the evening’s entertainment, and the anticipation of more to come was palpable.

After a brief interlude, the crowd assembled once again for the second act, the beautifully raucous Cambridge-based jazz fusion group Loose Leaf. Their gloriously fast-paced and exciting music was punctuated by the audience occasionally muttering in amazement at each member’s skill – I know I was certainly guilty of the odd admiring comment. Every instrument was given its chance to shine; bass, keyboard, drums, and saxophone all took centre stage.

“To perform alongside each other is to allow each to flourish in a more accessible and unified environment”

It was during this jazz act that CAIAC’s interdisciplinary focus was evident; the floor made way for improvised, interpretive dance, and the fusion of aural, musical entertainment with the visual medium of dance proved incredibly successful. The dancing was led by convenor Lucy Sims, and I loved it, despite not having much initial familiarity with dance as a medium. I asked one of CAIAC’s leading lights, Charlie McGuire, why it is so important to present varying mediums alongside each other.

His argument is clear and unarguable, that “CAIAC is based on access. […] Disciplines which have not been at the forefront of the Cambridge collective consciousness when it comes to funding and audience deserve our full attention.” These disciplines have existed, but often disconnected and disparately, and to perform alongside each other is to allow each to flourish in a more accessible and unified environment.

It was certainly a successful formula, as when Loose Leaf put their instruments down and the dancers left the stage I felt genuinely stunned by each individual’s creativity. It was not simply the existence of two brilliant performances but rather the fusion and interplay between them that left me amazed, and grateful that such an environment had been created.

“The hope being that an audience would be reassured and given the confidence that original music not only has a place in Cambridge, but will be welcomed”

But at this point the night was still young, and after a brief break the third and final performers, established London–based act Garden Slug, took to the stage. Here you can insert every possible clichéd description used to describe great shoegaze acts - we were immersed in sound from beginning to end, swirling guitars and soft vocals soared through for a joyful half hour.

CAIAC had seemingly curated the perfect performance; it is testament to another of their members, Frankie Steel (herself an exceptional drummer for Oxford band Lost Lyra), who had organised the night’s performances. Frankie’s desire to create a space where original music could be received and promoted was central to the night’s organisation, the hope being that an audience would be reassured and given the confidence that original music not only has a place in Cambridge, but will be welcomed.

Charlie told me what the night meant to him and the organisation to which he belongs, that “[CAIAC] showed with the roaring success of [Sunday’s] sold–out show and its interdisciplinary performances that, if we can simply supply the access, the interest, and talent are almost literally overflowing.”

And that’s precisely the point. Music is a joy in itself, but we shouldn’t shut ourselves off to its accompaniments, far from it. We should embrace an interdisciplinary approach and celebrate music’s interaction with other mediums. The fact that such occasions, where music, dance, and other mediums have that connective interplay, could finally arrive in Cambridge is something very exciting. CAIAC’s first show was a brilliant celebration of Cambridge’s vibrant music scene and its eager audience, but, perhaps better still, was a spectacular indication of where it could yet go.

The second CAIAC event will be Open Space, held in the Munby Room at King’s College, at 7pm on Friday 7 February.

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