Van Morrison

Van Morrison will perform live in the beautiful grounds of Audley End stately home in Saffron Walden on Sat 14 Aug 2021 with very special guests the Waterboys.

Van Morrison’s matchless song-writing and vocal talents have seen him produce an incredible body of material throughout the course of his career that has seen him traverse, and indeed master, everything from the British R&B, in which he originally made his name, to Jazz, Celtic and Soul.

Despite experimenting in these different genres, Van Morrison’s commercial success is well documented – ‘Brown Eyed Girl’, ‘Gloria’, ‘Here Comes The Night’, ‘Jackie Wilson Said’, ‘Bright Side Of The Road, ‘Have I Told You Lately’ – the list goes on.

Born of his Irish Showband instincts, the magic of the live performance has been a consistent feature of Morrison’s 50 year career, where he has been recognised with awards and accolades such as a Knighthood, a Brit, an OBE, an Ivor Novello, 6 Grammys, honorary doctorates from Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster, entry into The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and the French Ordres Des Artes Et Des Lettres, which all attest to the international reach of Van’s musical art.

Van Morrison released his latest album ‘Three Chords And The Truth’ last year, incredibly his sixth album in just four years, to widespread critical acclaim.

Joining Van Morrison at Audley End House & Gardens will be very special guests, The Waterboys.

Few bands have as great a live reputation as The Waterboys. From their mid-1980s “big music” period through the influential mix of Celtic, gospel and country on their classic ‘Fisherman’s Blues’ tours, to the hundreds of brilliant shows accompanying the last decade’s roots-y, soulful triptych of albums ‘Modern Blues’, ‘Out Of All This Blue’ and ‘Where The Action Is’, The Waterboys have consistently blended tightness, inspiration and improvisation to reach heights of performance few other acts can.

The 2020 version of the band features the established core of Mike Scott (vocals, guitar, piano), Steve Wickham (electric fiddle), Memphis keyboard great “Brother” Paul Brown, ace British drummer Ralph Salmins, and funky Irish bassist Aongus Ralston.

The relevance and popular reach of The Waterboys has never been greater. Their songs have been performed by artists as varied as Ellie Goulding, who scored a top 3 UK hit with ‘How Long Will I Love You’; Prince and U2 who sang ‘The Whole Of The Moon’ onstage and Fiona Apple, who recorded it last year; indie rockers The War On Drugs, Dawes and The Mystery Jets; and classic singers Tom Jones and Rod Stewart. ‘The Whole Of The Moon’ also featured in last year’s smash Netflix film Let It Snow and top HBO series The Affair.