The Martlets Hall in Burgess Hill has been part of the town’s live arts scene since the 1970s but it is to close in June to make way for a town centre revamp. So you might think that this was not the time to launch a programme of live shows dedicated to traditional music. Live-Arts is doing just that as its way of saying farewell to a venue that has given a lot of joy to people over the years
Robert Eggleston the founder of Live-Arts has been a supporter of traditional or traditional inspired music since his teens and has promoted live shows for a number of years. His vision is to make Burgess Hill in Mid Sussex a thriving centre for this form of music and other music genres.
This is a great time for folk music. There is a new crop of highly talented artists emerging alongside the established names, exciting and original song writing, and a willingness to fuse folk with other genres. It is a vibrant scene which we should be nurturing locally – not just in Burgess Hill but across Mid Sussex.
Saying farewell to the Martlets Hall was always going to be a difficult pill to swallow. However, a new venue in the town in the not too distant future could soon be on the cards and this is a cause for hope and cautious optimism.The design of the proposed new building would make a great home for live shows with a true regional appeal.
But there will be a gap of maybe three years between the loss of the Martlets Hall and the opening of a new venue. Of course, as an arts promoter Robert would like to see a seamless transfer from one building to another but you never get everything you want in life apparently.
So in addition to staging three farewell shows at the Martlets Hall to wish his old friend goodbye Live-Arts is going on the road to other venues as well.
But the farewell shows at the Martlets Hall are well worth booking> The first of these is on Sunday 18th March with Lady Maisery, a closely knit vocal trio with immense multi-instrumental talents. They are part of the new breed of folk artists destined for high honours (The Guardian said of their last album that it was “some of the most exquisite, thrilling vocal harmony work in the English folk scene”). A further two shows are booked for Saturday 5th May (Show of Hands) and Saturday 9th June (Home Service)
Robert Eggleston the founder of Live-Arts has been a supporter of traditional or traditional inspired music since his teens and has promoted live shows for a number of years. His vision is to make Burgess Hill in Mid Sussex a thriving centre for this form of music and other music genres.
This is a great time for folk music. There is a new crop of highly talented artists emerging alongside the established names, exciting and original song writing, and a willingness to fuse folk with other genres. It is a vibrant scene which we should be nurturing locally – not just in Burgess Hill but across Mid Sussex.
Saying farewell to the Martlets Hall was always going to be a difficult pill to swallow. However, a new venue in the town in the not too distant future could soon be on the cards and this is a cause for hope and cautious optimism.The design of the proposed new building would make a great home for live shows with a true regional appeal.
But there will be a gap of maybe three years between the loss of the Martlets Hall and the opening of a new venue. Of course, as an arts promoter Robert would like to see a seamless transfer from one building to another but you never get everything you want in life apparently.
So in addition to staging three farewell shows at the Martlets Hall to wish his old friend goodbye Live-Arts is going on the road to other venues as well.
But the farewell shows at the Martlets Hall are well worth booking> The first of these is on Sunday 18th March with Lady Maisery, a closely knit vocal trio with immense multi-instrumental talents. They are part of the new breed of folk artists destined for high honours (The Guardian said of their last album that it was “some of the most exquisite, thrilling vocal harmony work in the English folk scene”). A further two shows are booked for Saturday 5th May (Show of Hands) and Saturday 9th June (Home Service)
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