Propellor is a cross-genre ensemble with an ambitious vision.

Soloists, writers and ensemble players have come together from a diverse range of backgrounds to create immersive live experiences through combined art forms.

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Flight03 Jul 22

Flight is finally happening... Read on for performance dates and to hear about the myriad of things we're up to at the moment. Our first podcast has been a while in the making, and for several reasons the project has been delayed many times... We're sure you can imagine a few of them! But it actually is, definitely, without a...

Flight - a new project from Propellor for 202123 Mar 21

It's been quite a year... Now is the time for new music Now is the time for new ideas Now is the time for collaborationWe're very excited to have the opportunity to start work on a new project that will unfurl over the next year. Propellor are creating a three-part podcast series called Flight, alongside one of the UK's leading...

Body of Water at Lakeside Arts04 Sep 20

We're so excited to be able to share this dance film with you! Body of Water was created for Loom at Nottingham's Lakeside Arts in collaboration with Dance4 and dancer/choreographer Heather Birley.INTERVIEW WITH DANCER/CHOREOGRAPHER HEATHER BIRLEYJM: You've worked with musicians before, what does collaborating with a different art form bring to your own creative process? HB: I think a really...

Collaborations with a printmaker and three Cumbrian poets at Lakes Alive27 Jan 20

Watch how Loom at Lakes Alive came into being alongside the water prints of Caroline Stow which explore the ecology of Lakeland rivers, alongside new poetry from Polly Atkin, Hannah Hodgson and Katie Hale which reflected the many ways we can experience water.

Helen Mort (poet/author) and Jon Boden (Bellowhead) join Propellor for a special Sheffield collaboration!26 Oct 19

We're thrilled to be bringing Loom to Sheffield on November 16th at 3pm and 8pm! The amazing Helen Mort (author of 'Division Street', 'No Map Could Show Them' and 'Black Car Burning') and Jon Boden (lead singer of Bellowhead) have been c collaborators for Loom at University of Sheffield Concerts. Helen Mort has contributed some of her stunning poetry and...

Gearing up for performances at Lakes Alive this September!01 Aug 19

We're gearing up for our performances at this year's Lakes Alive, the theme for the festival in 2019 is 'Changing Landscapes' so what better place to visit with Loom, all about our collective experience of a landscape permanently on the move!? Based in Kendal at the heart of the Lake District National Park, this festival of contemporary arts is a...

Album Launch Date Announced!03 Mar 19

We hope you can join us for the first date on our Loom tour at Birmingham's beautiful Town Hall on 8th May. We're seriously excited to finally be bringing the piece out on the road and we'll be launching the album at this event so it's going to be extra special - there will also be a very exciting collaboration...

Q & A with Robin Beatty (live projections for Loom)06 Jan 19

We caught up with Propellor guitarist Robin Beatty to chat about his approach to creating the animated projections for Loom, ahead of it going on tour... Why are the visuals in "Loom" on the floor? We realised that it was important that accompanying visuals must function to draw the focus in the space rather than disperse it. The idea of...

Q & A with Bethan Lumb (Illustrator for Loom)18 Nov 18

We caught up with Bethan Lumb to chat about her approach to creating the visuals for the live performance of Loom ahead of designing the release artwork... What made you want to be part of "Loom"? Loom sounded like a really exciting, and innovative project to get involved with. I was particularly drawn by the narrative of the water course...

Loom Premiere Thanks And Propellor On Tour With New Recording!06 Nov 18

...Propellor's residency at Snape Maltings has come to an end. We've been thrilled to get to share our work with those of you who have come along to both our Festival of New performance and the Open Session. Your support and feedback has been amazing. It's also been wonderful to meet those of you who recorded interviews for the piece...

Festival of New 201810 Jul 18

We're very excited to be gearing up for the premiere of Loom at Festival of New! "A whirlwind two days of freshly-devised music, Festival of New explores some of the most exciting work being made in the UK. All of it has been made at Snape in residencies that take place in our Creative Campus throughout the year. Some of the work...

Making the recording and a date for your diaries...24 May 18

At the start of May we took to ground on the Suffolk coast once more and recorded 'Loom' with the amazing ears (and paper-dry witticisms) of producer Calum Malcolm. It was an emotional and physically knackering process (it's a big piece and it's been two years in the making!) - but most of all a really brilliant experience to get everyone in the...

Recording 'Loom'26 Mar 18

After the success of February's Open Session at Snape Maltings where we gave a first preview of the new work 'Loom', we're very excited to be heading back to the Britten Studio in May to record the piece in full! With the brilliant Calum Malcom (Linn Records) at the helm, we'll be making the most of Snape's fantastic acoustic to...

Open Session12 Feb 18

Huge thanks to everyone that came along to our Open Space - Open Session on February 9th! It was fantastic to be able to share this work in progress with you all and really brilliant to see so many people getting different things from the performance. You moved, listened and engaged in the whole event so thank you - if ever...

Timelapse of the set-up08 Feb 18

The rig is up and we're trialing our projections from John Beatty and Bethan Lumb which Robin has been mapping alongside the live music! These will be projected straight down from the ceiling onto a large 'pool' projection screen in the centre of the ensemble during the performance. It's all coming together and there's a buzz about the place ahead of the...

Aidan O'Rourke19 Jan 18

We had a really productive residency working alongside Aidan O'Rourke (LAU) who has been mentoring on the project. Three intense January days (yes it was cold) of rehearsing, writing and keeping warm in the Britten Studio at Snape Maltings proved to be exactly what the piece and the ensemble needed to knock larger sections of the (eventually) hour-long 'Loom' together. Tim Southorn...

Illustrating 'Loom' - Bethan Lumb22 Nov 17

Propellor are working with Manchester-based illustrator and graphic designer Bethan Lumb to produce images which will be used in conjunction with the stunning photography of John Beatty. Bethan has been responding to the narrative of the work, it's literal journey backwards from the sea to the sky as well as rehearsal recordings as the piece and ensemble sound have developed. We're...
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