Almost Starlight - Felpham
About this Event
Entry is free but donations are welcome.
A unique chance to hear two extraordinary musicians in an intimate setting: Jem Finer (hurdy-gurdy) and John Matthias (violin) will be playing music from their forthcoming album, Almost Starlight, released by Touch on September 4th.
Produced by Jay Auborn and recorded in a medieval church, deep in the Devon countryside, in the summer of 2025, the music is suffused with light, heat and the natural acoustics of the space.
The album defies categorisation; forced to pigeonhole it the nearest approximation would be ‘modern-classical’ but this ignores its myriad influences and explorations which encompass inspiration from Arvo Pärt through Terry Riley to Can via Delius, Alice Coltrane and a subtle reimagining of electronic music played purely with acoustic instruments, bending and shaping their possibilities in surprising and unexpected directions.
This is the second concert of a short tour of South Coast churches in which they will be playing the music of Almost Starlight live for the first time, with minimal amplification, taking full advantage of the acoustics of the church.
Jem Finer
Since studying computer science in the 1970s, Jem Finer has worked in various fields, including photography, film, experimental and popular music, sound recording, sculpture and installation.
Much of his work relates to systems, extended processes and extremes of scale and includes Longplayer, a musical composition repeating once every 1000 years, and the Gurdy and Hurdy stones, ancient rocks set upright in fields in East Sussex and Gloucestershire with Jimmy Cauty. Their work together includes a band, The Standing Stones, whose most recent release is Twa Sisters, featuring Iona Zajac and Daragh Lynch.
He was a founder member of The Pogues, with whom he has played, written and recorded since 1981.
Recent music revolves around a fascination with the hurdy-gurdy and includes hrdy-grdy, a cassette released by Benedict Drew’s Thanet Tape Centre. His latest collaboration, with John Matthias, Almost Starlight, will be released by Touch in September 2026.
John Matthias
Since studying Theoretical Physics in the late 1980s and 1990s, John has created music and sound in many forms, including for installation, popular music, music for film, for dance and orchestra.
Much of John’s work plays with the physics of complex systems but he is also greatly influenced by stories and song. John has collaborated with Matthew Herbert, Stanley Donwood, Jay Auborn, Radiohead, Thom Yorke, Nick Ryan and many others to create music with a variety of textures and sonorities. He is particularly interested in simplicity and form and how context informs the way music sounds.
His latest collaboration, with Jem Finer, Almost Starlight, will be released by Touch in September 2026.
Agenda
🕑: 07:30 PM - 09:00 PM
Free entry - Donations Welcome
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00
