Somewhat ecclesiastical end to 2018. First, let me congratulate the people running St. Paul’s in Worthing. They’ve turned a beautiful old church into a lovely old church with a bar! A wonderful new performance venue with beautiful acoustics and real ale. More of these round the country please.

A few days ago I saw medieval vocal/instrumental outfit The Telling do an evocative and atmospheric performance of early European carols and solstice songs there.  

It was accompanied by readings of contemporary accounts of how the ancient festival was celebrated by ordinary people at different times in our history, done in an inclusive, non pretentious way with the bar open all through the gig and no “tuts” if you went and got a beer. (I really wish all “classical” — for want of a better word — concerts were like this.) I bought their debut album Gardens of Delight afterwards and can thoroughly recommend it.