ST AGNES FOUNTAIN
Since their first get together, to record the eponymous St Agnes Fountain album in 2001, the quartet; David Hughes, Fairport Convention's Chris Leslie and multi award winning duo Chris While and Julie Matthews, have brought musical invention and laughter to the star-dust atmosphere of the season.
In 2020, David decided to leave the band to concentrate on solo pursuits and whilst his presence will be missed, Chris, Chris and Julie will be keeping the Christmas Aggie spirit alive and working as a trio celebrating 22 years together again this year.
'The Aggie's' 10th album, Night Of A Million Stars was released in time for the December 2021 tour with 9 brand new songs from the band.
Although the albums accompany the putting up of a thousand Christmas trees throughout Britain and around the globe as their reputation reaches further afield, it is, without question, their magical live performances that have endeared them to an ever-growing audience (tickets were again being sold for this year's tour as the curtain fell last year).
Christmas, as they say, starts with...... St Agnes Fountain... Fa la la la la la la la la!
Chris While and Julie Matthews
Chris While vocals, guitar, bodhran, dulcimer, banjo, darbuka and percussion.
Julie Matthews vocals, piano, guitar, acordion and gazouki
They have played more than 2,650 gigs, appeared on over 100 albums, written hundreds of original songs and reached millions of people around the world. Now, 25 years after their debut, they sound as fresh and vital as ever.
They are two of the best and most hard working musicians on the world folk roots scene, both are highly regarded producers and they record everything that they are involved in at their own studio in a small Pennine town far from the Londoncentric music industry. They truly are inspirational women.
Chris While (vocals, guitar, banjo, dulcimer, bodhran and percussion) & Julie Matthews (vocals, piano, guitar, mandolin and bouzouki) are stunning singers, songwriters, musicians and performers whose energy and commitment to their craft and their audience is boundless.
Chris Leslie - Fiddle, Mandolin, Tenor Guitar, Bouzouki, Ukulele, Banjo, Oud, Whistle and Native American Flute and anything else he can lay his hands on!!
Chris is a multi instrumentalist, singer and songwriter from Oxfordshire UK. Primarily known for the past 21 years for his work with Fairport Convention, he has toured and recorded with, amongst others: Steve Ashley, the Albion Band, Jez Lowe, Ian Anderson, Chris While and Julie Matthews, Whippersnapper, Alan Stivell, Feast of Fiddles and St. Agnes Fountain.
Chris has also provided music for a number of Radio Four plays and classic serials.
His fiddle playing has also been heard on the TV series Heartbeat, Midsommer Murders and Billy Connolly’s World Tour of Scotland.