The other night, I found myself in the unusual position of being in church even though nobody had died. The occasion was a cross-genre performance of music and words, courtesy of the Hebden Bridge Arts Festival. The show was inspired by bird migration and soundscapes. Three members of the ensemble Propellor performed migration-inspired music, with occasional commentary from the project’s director, Jack McNeill, nature writer Mark Cocker, and sound artist and academic Linda O’Keeffe.
I didn’t know what on earth to expect, and it’s impossible to describe what went on, but I thoroughly enjoyed the performance. The mix of words and music worked wonderfully, there were percussive explosions reminiscent of Tom Waits, the venue was fantastic, and there were several thought-provoking questions from the audience in the Q&A session afterwards. You can get a feel for the sort of thing that went on by listening to the associated podcast.
Afterwards, I was also delighted to meet and chat briefly with my (until then) online-only friends Mark Cocker and his wife, Mary, and to bump into Paul Knights (once again). People will start to talk.
In summary: a very ‘Hebden Bridge’ experience.
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