IF it’s Christmas at South Petherton’s David Hall you can be sure that St Agnes Fountain will be on the calendar, returning for their much-anticipated annual visit to the Somerset venue, this year on Saturday 14th December at 8pm.

Since their first get together, to record the eponymous St Agnes Fountain album in 2001, the original quartet of David Hughes, Fairport Convention’s Chris Leslie and multi award winning duo Chris While and Julie Matthews, have brought musical invention and laughter to the star-dust atmosphere of the season.

In 2020, David decided to leave the band and very sadly died last year. He is much missed. His vision to create traditional Christmas carols with a curve led to the creation of the group. The remaining trio say “his unique style of rhythm, of hearing and playing a groove, his satirical wit and sartorial style, his dead-pan presence on stage and his beautiful turn of a lyrical phrase” will never be replaced.

There is more music at the David Hall on Friday 20th from Bare Jams, whose musical influences include rock, pop and jazz, and a New Year’s Eve ceilidh with Crooked Furrow, who were formed in the 1980s as a Wurzels tribute band.

 

St Agnes Fountain will also be at The Watermark at Ivybridge in Devon on 12th December, The Beehive at Honiton on 13th and at the Town Hall in Marlborough on Tuesday 17th December.

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