A commemorative CD featuring music from local musicians has been released in memory of two brothers who passed away 10 years ago.
Torin and Jacques Lakeman, who were aged 19 and 20, were found in a room above a pub in Bolton in December 2014 after overdosing on ecstasy they had bought on what is known as the ‘dark web’.
With the two brothers being avid musicians, their parents - Ray and Sarah Lakeman - organised an annual concert in their memory, with island musicians coming together to perform original songs in the form of a tribute.
The first one of these was held at Port St Mary Town Hall in February 2015, two months after the boys died, to celebrate what would have been Jacques’ 21st birthday.
These commemorative gigs were then held once a year until 2021, when Ray and Sarah decided to stop doing them as they became ‘too big’.
Ray said: ‘We’re never going to be quite the same, but we’ve found ways to help us deal with our loss, especially at this time of year [the anniversary]. One of these ways is through music.
‘After that first party at the Town Hall, we decided to do one every year to help us cope as we’d have other things on our mind instead of the anniversary.
‘It got bigger and bigger each year, to the point where the last time we did it was spread over two nights. People were queuing up, and we had eight bands perform as well as two DJs.’
The bands that performed during these gigs were well-known locally, with some of them being close friends of Jacques of Torin.
Ray said that the bands and solo performers were ‘disappointed’ that the gigs were no longer happening, but that the ‘Something Happened’ CD has now brought them all back together.
Ray added: ‘We originally thought of the idea for the CD two years ago, and sent out a letter to those who had performed at the concerts to see if they’d be interested.
‘Not everyone was able to contribute to the CD, but we ended up with 17 tracks.
‘The bands kept asking if we were going to do another gig, but it was getting far too big. This CD wasn’t a compromise, it was a conscious decision to do something more permanent.’
The CD features local artists such as Mablanig, The Ballagh’s, Mad Daddy, Jordan Edge, Biskee Brisht, Phantom Effect and a special final track from Davy Knowles titled ‘The Road Down To The Sea’.
Most tracks were recorded and mixed by Gyp Buggane at the Ballagroove Recording Studio in Ballasalla.
The CDs are free and can be collected from Trend in Port Erin or Torden Stores in Port St Mary.
However, anyone who would like to make a charitable contribution has been asked to consider the charities ‘Anyone's Child’ or the ‘Parkinson's Society’.