Times best-selling nature writer teams up with Hastings musicians for unique show

Sunday Times acclaimed best-selling writer Raynor Winn – author of the The Salt Path – has joined forces with the Gigspanner Big Band for the show.

Gigspanner was formed by former Steeleye Span violinist Peter Knight, who lived in Hastings, and involves Hastings musicians Roger Flack and Sacha Trochet, as well as Bellowhead co- founder John Spiers and BBC Folk Award winning musicians Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin.

The Salt Path is Raynor Winn’s best-selling memoir of walking the South West Coast Path in its 630 mile entirety, under the weight of personal tragedy and misfortune. It has won global praise for its 'against all odds' uplifting message, its frank exploration of the reality of homelessness and its evocative descriptions of nature and wildlife.

It is one couple's story, but such a well-trodden path inevitably holds many more stories of loss, love and the natural world. Stories that can be found in the form of traditional songs, archived and waiting to be revealed afresh.The seed of an idea has developed into an inspiring ‘Prose and Music’ collaboration between Raynor Winn and The Gigspanner Big Band.

Raynor explained: “"Last year I met an amazing group of musicians. Individually they have remarkable musical histories, but they’ve come together to form The Gigspanner Big Band. They had a suggestion, an idea of a collaboration. Their wonderful reimagining of traditional songs and tunes collected from the south west coast path, alongside some new words from me.“So I did what you do when faced with a big decision - I thought about it for five minutes, then said yes, absolutely yes. How could I turn down the chance to work with names that light up the folk music world?"

She added: The coastline of the south west holds a rich past, a vibrant present and has changed my life in ways without measure, so to find inspiration for Saltlines wasn’t hard. The Gigspanner Big Band brought together a beautiful collection of songs from the area to form the basis of the project and my words have come in response to the history, texture and sense of place those songs evoke.”

The Saltlines tour took audiences by storm on its debut tour in July, the hallmark of which was nightly standing ovations. The Hastings concert is one of a series of October dates.

It is billed as an unmissable experience for anyone who appreciates beautiful words, inspiring music and above all, cherishes the social and natural history of Britain’s coastline, and the common thread that binds its fragile communities and wildlife.

The Gigspanner Big Band are a unique force in British folk music. Their high-energy, virtuosic performances appeal equally to traditionalists and to those looking for something more experimental, and they have garnered praise from publications as varied as fRoots, The Telegraph and The Wire, where they were described as ‘melodically folk-rooted yet open and innovative beyond the constraints of genre’

Visit www.stmaryinthecastle.org.uk for more details.

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