Arianne Churchman and Benedict Drew with support from David Birchall

Event information

Arianne Churchman and Benedict Drew are visual artists and musicians. Based in London and Kent their work together draws from English traditional music, minimalism, music concrete and electronic music.

Using analogue synthesisers, acoustic instruments and layered vocals their work starts with traditional song with its lyrics corrupted and reimagined, it is then woven into sonic collages and landscapes, each layer spiraling out a little further from the last building into ecstatic melodies, rhythms and dreamscapes.

Since 2020 they have recorded a selection of traditional May songs to coincide with May Day, releasing them digitally through Drew’s Thanet Tape Centre label. In 2024 these were compiled into a 2xLP release MAY and was released by Loves Devotee. 2025 sees the release of their new record The Tree of the Left Hand that was released in the spring by the Folklore Tapes.

With support from David Birchall

The ‘Journeys to…’ films capture various walks and approaches to stone circles and other ancient monuments. Mainly in the Peak District close to Manchester where I live but some other excursions in Wales and at Silbury Hill in Wiltshire pop up. Inspired by a heavy lean into Derek Jarman’s Journey to Avebury they’re all shot on digital 8mm handheld style. The performance is about 40 minutes long with live electric guitar improvisation. I’m really excited to present these; finding a way to fold my musical work in with my regular Derbyshire stones psychogeographic explorations has been a real voyage of discovery.