BRIGHTON: The Rose Hill

Wednesday 15th February, 2023

7:00pm

Event information

Steve Beresford, Faradena Afifi and Paul Khimasia Morgan

Steve Beresford has been a central figure in the British and international spontaneous music scenes for over forty years, freely improvising on the piano, electronics, and other things with people like Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Han Bennink, John Zorn, and Alterations (with David Toop, Terry Day and Peter Cusack).

He has written songs, written for large and small ensembles, and scored short films, feature films, TV shows, and commercials. He was part of the editorial teams of Musics and Collusion magazines, writes about music in various contexts, and was a senior lecturer in music at the University of Westminster. With Blanca Regina, he is part of Unpredictable Series, which produces events and sound and video recordings of experimental music and art.

Faradena Afifi is the curator of ‘The Noisy Women Present’ and the ‘Noisy People’s Improvising Orchestra’. She plays bowed string instruments, piano and percussion and uses voice and movement. She is also a community musician, street and folk musician.

Paul Khimasia Morgan is an improvisor who uses an amplified acoustic guitar body. He has performed in regular and ad-hoc groupings with Steve Beresford and Blanca Regina, Cristián Alvear, Richard Sanderson, Jason Kahn, Simon Whetham, Seth Cooke, Dimitra Lazaridou-Chatzigoga, Ryu Hankil, Charlotte Keefe and Mark Wastell’s THE SEEN.

"...feedback-like tones rising carefully amid a cloud of metal thorns...more physicality than most you hear, which gives the performance some nice faux visual weight."
- Byron Coley in The Wire

Fourth Page

Charlie Beresford – guitar, voice
Carolyn Hume – keyboards
Paul May – drums

Fourth Page formed in 2010 almost by accident on a sunny Spring afternoon in Surrey. The very first notes the band ever played together that day ended up on their debut album, ‘Along the Weak Rope’, which was released later that year. Two more albums followed for Forwind and the legendary Leo label over the next couple of years (along with a lot of gigs in churches).

The band’s unique and entirely improvised approach to song form has drawn comparisons to everyone from Schubert to David Sylvian, Paul Bley, Talk Talk and John Martyn, but in truth Fourth Page sound like no-one but themselves.

"...improvised songs that are studiously enigmatic and elusive. ... the instrumental tracks are equally alluring. "Diablerie" melds scrap metal scrapes with rippling electric piano and Beresford's edge of feedback guitar hum. "Edgeplay" is a 20 minute vista of rattle 'n' thud percussion, scattered plucks and sustained synth wash that goes nowhere beautifully."
- Daniel Spicer, The Wire