Friends of Morston Church | Music and Words 2025 Review

Supporting All Saints Church, Morston

The 1st Morston 'Music & Words' Festival - Saturday 26th July 2025

Performers clockwise from top left: Ben Brown; Annie Tempest; Emma Bridgewater; Briggs & Stark; The Kobayashi Bookstore; Rosy Fordham & Lucy Fennell; DJ Taylor. Photos (c) Frederic Landes / Richard Longley

Organised by 'Morston Tales & Ales' in aid of the Friends of Morston Church, the first 'Morston Music and Words Festival' ran from 4pm until 10pm on Saturday 26th July 2025, in the grounds of a fabulous double walled garden in the village.

Raising funds for All Saints Church, Morston, the event was another spectacular success for 'Tales & Ales', despite some inconvenient and badly-timed rain just before the start of proceedings.

Nevertheless, once the rain had ceased, the show kicked off with artist, sculptor and cartoonist Annie Tempest, interviewed by our host Rob Metcalfe. Annie brought warmth and sunshine to the opening of our afternoon, as she contemplated how her early life led to evolution as an artist, and her beloved long-running, whimsical cartoon strip 'Tottering By Gently', which is published weekly in 'Country Life' since 1993. Annie revealed that she dutifully gives the gentle, humorous feature her full attention every Monday, which leaves her free for the rest of the week to pursue her bottomless artistic creativity.

Annie Tempest. Photo (c) Frederic Landes

The sublimely talented duo Briggs & Stark opened up musical proceedings, with their charming blend of Americana meets indie/folk on acoustic guitars “with a tickle of flute”. Performing songs from their debut EP ‘Starting Something’ and others, Claudia and Briggs performed songs written from their own, life experiences, arranged in beautifully weaved patterns and melody, harmony and love from the heart. Truly, the charming young singers Briggs & Stark held the assembled audience in the palm of their hands with some of the most wonderful, original music heard for a while.

Briggs & Stark. Photos (c) Frederic Landes / Richard Longley

Whitbread prize winner and twice Booker nominee, DJ (David) Taylor was eagerly welcomed to Morston just as his new collection of Norfolk short stories, Poppyland, is published. Set in his native Norfolk, which is delivered with vivid and descriptive lyricism: the stories have a mood unique to the region with characters drawn with detached affection. As David explained in response to questions after a short reading, he observes and listens to people and their conversations in everyday life, and uses snippets of gems he sees and hears to use as the essence for his tales.

With regard to his non-fiction, (in particular his two biographies of George Orwell and one of Thackeray), the author explained that the reason he wrote about these chosen subjects was down to his love of his fellow writers - going on to say that he couldn't understand why anyone who disliked another would even consider writing a biography on the subject matter.

DJ Taylor. Photos (c) Frederic Landes / Richard Longley

Talking about her relationship with Morston Church and her career in pottery, celebrated English ceramic artist and entrepreneur, Emma Bridgewater followed DJ Taylor with her thoughts, reminiscences and contemplation of her life to date and to what exciting ventures await ahead.

Emma described how, when being unable to find a suitable cup and saucer as a gift for her mother, she decided to create her own. Thus, in 1985, the Emma Bridgewater company was founded and has been based in Stoke since 1995.

With many ideas and projects potentially in the pipeline, Emma presented the philosophy of continuing with your passions throughout life - something which resonated with the audience.

Emma Bridgewater. Photos (c) Frederic Landes

The Kobayashi Bookstore were the second musical act of the day, with the five-piece band from Cambridge / Morston performing their original songs with a touch of social commentary, combined with lyrical wit and above all else, highly catchy melodies and engaging vocal harmonies.

With unmistakeable nods towards jangly beat groups of the 1960's coupled with influences from Belle & Sebastian, The Bees and The Lilac Time the jaunty and vivacious band entertained the crowd with their up-beat tunes and the sense of fun resonated throughout.

The Kobayashi Bookstore. Photos (c) Frederic Landes

Lucy Fennell + Rosy Fordham present Pouched and Padded

Actor and improviser Rosy Fordham is no stranger to Morston, having performed on two occasions with her troupe of travelling players 'Impromptu Shakespeare.'

Rosy was joined in conversation on the 'Souk Stage' by her friend and fellow performer with the improv group, Intimacy Coordinator Lucy Fennell. Lucy's work, as the audience discovered, includes 'True Detective', 'Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story' and 'All of Us Strangers' and she explained to a thoroughly intrigued audience just how intimacy coordinators work in TV and film, the obstacles (directors!!) they come up against and what items and props they keep with them to avoid unwanted bodily contact in 'sensitive' scenes in the script.

Both light-hearted (many will be reconsidering the many uses of a semi-deflated Pilates ball as recommended by Lucy to the actor Jodie Foster) as well as covering the serious side of intimate contact between performers and the power struggles and balances between actors and directors. An education indeed!

Rosy Fordham and Lucy Fennell. Photo (c) Richard Longley

Singer, songwriter, performer (and enthusiastic film discoverer) Ben Brown closed the event on a high, by which time we were all, possibly, 'Dancing With Our Eyes Closed'.

The lead singer of indie (and Suffolk) legends Dingus Khan and pop sensations Superglu was warmly received by his Morston audience who took the amiable and personable performer to their hearts with his wit, warmth and genuinely top quality songwriting.

Many can sing, many are dexterous musicians, many are born entertainers - Morston was lucky that they experienced Ben as three-in-one! His voice hung in the night air on the streams of the notes from his acoustic guitar while Ben's home-made, DIY video screen showed film clips of Manningtree, (Ben's home town), Ben's garden bench and trellis as well as anonymous holiday footage the singer had rescued from a skip!

Welcome to Ben's world!

Ben Brown. Photos (c) Richard Longley

We couldn't have held this event without the support, help, guidance and general all-round kindness of so many people - performers, helpers, neighbours, organisers, friends, family, pets and of course, our generous host for allowing the use of her beautiful garden, the wonderfully spirited Gill Kay. The monies raised go towards the maintenance and repair of All Saints Church, Morston, helping to preserve this historic landmark.

Thank you!!!

Photos (c) Frederic Landes / Richard Longley

If you would like further information on our events (or would like to participate in future ones) please do not hesitate to contact us at the email address below..