Westport Sound at Malmesbury
Headfirst Editor's Pick

"Fierce outsider folk / jazz drifting down the Avon from Malmesbury, threatening to drown out the entire Bristol underground! This stacked weekend getaway demands your attention, with mighty skronk-noir supergroup 137, UK free jazz journeyman Pat Thomas, dubbed-out pagan freak folk wonders Milkweed, Theo May’s third stream violin suites + loads more."

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See event details

A gig on Saturday 11th October. The event starts at 14:00.


Westport Sound is a 2 day festival of improvised, adventurous & new music taking place in the historic North Wiltshire market town of Malmesbury, 40 minutes from Bristol; it’s sited in the old western quarter of the town known as Westport, on the north bank of the River Avon overlooking the green expanse of Daniel’s Well.

Programme (with more to be announced):

137 (Larry Stabbins, Adrian Utley, Jim Barr and Seb Rochford) / Argia (Tara Cunningham/Caius Williams/Theo Guttenplan) / Bryn Wyrd / Dominic Lash & Heather Roche / Durga Ramakrishnan / Kathy Hinde / Last Dream of the Morning (Mark Sanders, John Edwards and John Butcher) / Milkweed / Pat Thomas / Shifa (Mark Sanders, Rachel Musson and Pat Thomas) / The New Eves / Theo May's New Odd Unit / Yeah You

Westport Sound seeks to continue & evolve the adventurous & collaborative spirit of the music & vision of Keith Tippett with a programme that dissolves genre distinctions across jazz, classical, post-punk, traditional & electronic music. Last year's debut Westport Sound emerged into largely uncharted musical territories & possibilities for the town. Predominantly across two venues: a 50 capacity room - The Hayloft - above our hub, The Three Cups pub & in St Mary’s Hall, a 120 capacity town hall style church, a minute's walk from the pub. There will be fringe events, a record shop, food, good ale & warm company.

Malmesbury is a 40 minute drive from Bristol, 30 minutes from Stroud, 20 minutes from Chippenham train station that has regular London, Swindon & Bristol journeys.

- jazz noir supergroup 137 (Larry Stabbins, Adrian Utley, Jim Barr & Seb Rochford)
- experimental folk duo Milkweed
- the great jazz pianist Pat Thomas
- Indian Carnatic classical singer & veena player
- industrial dub-electro duo Bryn Wyrd
- indie punk quartet The New Eves (a Rough Trade album of the year highlight)
- audio-visual artist Kathy Hinde
- two of the best free jazz trios on the scene, Shifa (Mark Sanders, Rachel Musson & Pat Thomas) and Last Dream of the Morning (Mark Sanders, John Edwards & John Butcher)
- new free music trio Argia (Tara Cunningham, Caius Williams & Theo Guttenplan)
- double bass / clarinet duo Dominic Lash & Heather Roche
- violinist Theo May’s New Odd Unit, an 11 piece big band chamber jazz group debut
- the distorted electro clash shriek of Yeah You

Entry requirements: no age restrictions

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