Our Song of the Day is from the fabulous Chris Wood by way of a video of him performing ‘Jerusalem’ at The Green Backyard, a vibrant community growing project in the heart of Peterborough which has been placed under threat by developers. It is one of the last green spaces in the city centre which was established in 2009 and is run entirely by volunteers. You can hear the city noise in the background but as the video shows, it is a truly beautiful haven, one that deserves to remain where it is. The video was filmed and edited by Paper Rhino, a creative workers co-op specialising in illustration, video, typography and design.
Chris featured the song on None the Wiser and shared this about the song:
“I woke at 4am one morning. Anyone trying to feed their family by making music knows that 4am is the hour of the wolf. Blake’s poem was in my head but I could not remember it accurately because of the monster tune that Hubert Parry put to it. I got up and hunted down the words in an actual book and, without Parry’s music I could plainly see that this was a 4am poem. Four questions which I believe Blake asks because he feels the answer may be, “no”. The tune came to me there and then… In the dark. Paul Gilroy, writer on post colonial Britain, contacted me to ask if he could use it in a lecture he does at Kings.”
The Green Backyard is currently under threat and the project is trying to raise enough funds to buy the 2.3 acre allotment site to save it from developers. If successful they seek to develop it into a thriving urban garden with a local food cafe, education centre and enterprise incubation units.
Show your support here: www.thegreenbackyard.com/save-the-gby
Chris Wood is currently on tour, so if you get a chance try and see him, he’s an extraordinary songwriter, one of our best.
Chris Wood Tour Dates
04 Mar Komedia Brighton, BRIGHTON
05 Mar Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts, POOLE
06 Mar St Stephen’s Church, BRISTOL
07 Mar The Heeley Institute, SHEFFIELD
08 Mar The Discovery Centre, WINCHESTER
11 Mar New Vic Theatre, NEWCASTLE UNDER LYME
12 Mar Rook Lane Chapel, FROME
13 Mar Sheppey Little Theatre, SHEERNESS
14 Mar Kalamazoo Klub, LONDON
15 Mar Kitchen Garden Café, BIRMINGHAM
20 Mar La Rosa Hotel, WHITBY
21 Mar Unity Folk Festival, WAKEFIELD
Ticket links and more details here: http://chriswoodmusic.co.uk/
http://www.thegreenbackyard.com/save-the-gby/