This July we once again join forces with our friends at the Hebridean Lost Map label to present our summer showcase of songwriters and storytellers in word and sound. We plan to transport a trio of solo artists from across the length of the country to Leytonstone with voice, cello, sythesiser, guitar and digital processing collaged together to create something magical in the ever-welcoming space of St John’s.
This event today is part of Leytonstone Festival and Leytonstone Arts Trail and we are inviting artists and audiences to leave their mark on the afternoon. Everyone who comes into the space will be invited to join in various activities: drawing or making alongside contemplating the music.
Our first destination is London-based French singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Clémentine March. She mixes together jazz, folk, Brazilian pop, disco, krautrock and 90s alt-rock influences. Her third album, Powder Keg moves fluidly between hypnotic art-pop, motorik punk, symphonic disco and lush Brazilian-inspired songwriting, while exploring themes of memory, friendship, romanticism and the passage of time.
Looking further across the musical map of the afternoon, we are proud to present Dominie Hooper, a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose emotionally raw, ritualistic songs draw together textured cello, jagged guitars and a voice of striking power and vulnerability. Rooted in the rugged landscapes and folklore of her Devon upbringing, her acclaimed debut album In This Body Lives— explores memory, identity, healing and human connection.
At the top of the map is Isa Gordon is an Ayrshire-raised, Glasgow-based producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist whose genre-defying music fuses folk tradition with club electronics, punk energy and experimental sound design. She reimagines folk standards and 20th-century songs by artists including Richard Thompson, Lou Reed, Robert Wyatt and Black Sabbath, treating each song as living folklore reshaped for a new era.
There are yet two more layers to our afternoon of creativity: a rare chance to experience live drawing to music from Andrew Rae and Nick White. These artists and illustrators are members of the Lost Map’s ensemble Owen & The Eyeballs. And if that wasn’t enough, setting the mood and filling the space as we relax into our seats will be multi-instrumentalist Terry Edwards.
This is most definitely an event or an experience you are not going to want to miss!
Arctic Circle's Daylight Music has, for nearly seventeen years, become an important part of London’s live music scene, with a weird and wonderful mix of musicians presenting ideas and storytelling in music and sound, alongside delicious cake, in some of the most splendid and iconic venues.
Further event details: Cafe open. An event for all ages. Pay-What-You-Can entry in advance or on the door (£12 per adult suggestion, children free), subject to availability/capacity.