The live performance of the project, held at Kempsford village hall was completely sold out and a special night. It was inspiring to see so many family and villagers, both young and old coming out to support the project. Following a support slot by my folk trio Mishra, myself and the band performed the tracks of the EP featuring the samples and spoken word. It was a pleasure and thrill to perform these tracks to an audience of villagers and to witness the reactions on their faces to the stories. I was surprised by peoples enthusiasm, hearing many more tales from audience members and selling plenty of special edition CDs. This showed to me that for lots of the people who came, it was about more than just the music and about the community tales.
The concert and EP launch does not necessarily mark the end of the project. I realised along the way and particularly at the concert, that people have so many stories they are keen to share. With a longer period to collect and research tales I would one day like to created a full album of local songs. The positive feedback at the concert ensured me that capturing these stories in the form of song has a powerful and moving impact on audiences. I witnessed an enthusiasm for a shared local community that reminded me of why I was inspired to start the project.
