CCK Life blog

Stuart Townend is known and respected around the world as one of the leading worship songwriters of his generation. Some of Stuart’s songs include In Christ alone, How deep the Father’s love, The Power Of The Cross and Beautiful Saviour. If you’ve heard any of his songs (and there’s a strong chance you probably have!) you’ll know that there’s a theological richness to his lyrics as well as a depth of understanding of the Trinitarian God who we are called to worship. Stuart regularly attends and leads worship at Church of Christ the King. He is married to Caroline and they have three children – Joseph, Emma and Eden. Yohaan Philip, chief editor of the ccklife blog, recently had the privilege of interviewing Stuart and writes:

The first time I listened to In Christ Alone is still such a vivid memory in my mind. It just opened up the cross of Christ to me. It was one of those moments I’d cherish all my life. What a song! There’s something about engaging with glorious truths about God that leaves you awestruck. It’s tough to describe what’s going on in that moment. Stuart’s songs are soaked with doctrinal truths that leave you with a sense of wonder at the majestic God who is mindful of us. When you interact with Stuart, you can’t help but being caught up in his love for Jesus. I want what he has! Stuart’s oldest son, Joseph, is a dear friend. We often have ‘theological discussions’ (when he’s not making you laugh with his wit that is!) and there’s an understanding of God that this young man has which is testimony to the input his father has had in his life. it leads me to my first question..

YP: It’s been great seeing Joseph and Eden play along side you on Sundays. They’re both top quality musicians. You must be a proud dad!
ST: Yes, I am proud of them. Joseph has been playing drums with me for some time now. He’s always been a very solid player, but he’s grown a lot in the last year in terms of sensitivity to the dynamics of a worship time – when to play out, when to pull back, and so on. Eden is only 13, but he’s already showing a tremendous dexterity and sense of rhythm in his playing, so I’m
looking forward to getting him more involved. And I haven’t used Emma at CCK yet, but she’s a pretty mean keyboard player…

YP: Your song In Christ Alone, has touched lives all over the world. How did you come about to write the song?
ST: The song began in a very ordinary way. I had just met Keith Getty for the first time over a coffee at a conference, and he promised to send me some melodies he’d written. So when the CD arrived in the post, I put it on, and was really bowled over by the very first melody; it had a hymn-like stateliness, but a very powerful dynamic and a beautiful celtic feel that made it really memorable. So I immediately decided this ‘timeless’ melody needed a timeless theme, and got to work on a lyric that would take us through the life, death and resurrection of Christ, and what that means for us. It was slow going at first, but I have to admit, by the time I got to the fourth verse I was getting very excited!

It is astounding to both Keith and me how the song has been received. We still get lots of emails and letters about how the song has helped people at times of crisis in their lives, and it’s very humbling to know God is still using it.

YP: The In Christ Alone tour looks very promising! Can you tell me more about it?
ST: It’s actually the continuation of a tour we began last year, which took in venues like Liverpool Cathedral, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, and the SECC in Glasgow. This time we’re at The Waterfront, Belfast, Londonderry, Chessington, Ipswich, Dundee… And our very own Brighton Dome on 27th June! For those who want to come, tickets are available from the Dome box office,
or http://www.brightondome.org, or by phone on 01273 709709. Details of other gigs are available from the www.gettymusic.com website.

YP: You are quite involved with the CCK album, ‘Have You Heard’ which is being launched in July. There’s quite a buzz going around CCK about this new album!
ST: I have to confess I haven’t heard the finished mixes, but everybody who has seems to be raving about it! Simon Brading, Lou Fellingham and Phatfish, and myself all led worship over two nights at CCK, under the creative eye of producer Mark Edwards. It’s fair to say that we are all used to arranging and playing on live albums, but I think Mark helped us to take the songs in a fresh creative direction, and the result is an album that, while capturing the vitality of a worship time, has a musical edge and creativity that makes it a bit special.

YP: We see Stuart the worship leader. Can you tell me more about your personal walk with Jesus?
ST: My Dad was an Anglican vicar, so I was brought up going to church, and understanding what it really meant to be a Christian, because I could see the reality of it in my parents’ lives. But as I became a teenager I began to realise that, although I was surrounded by lots of Christian ’stuff’, there was no internal reality to it – I felt I was still on the outside looking in, if you like – and I knew I had to give my life to Christ. And that’s what I did, and the reality of knowing Him personally completely
turned me around.

And since then, in all the ups and downs, the joys and the sorrows, I’ve found God to be constant in His love and faithfulness, and I can trust Him with every day, whatever the situation.

Andy Cross manages ‘Live in the Lounge’ at Church of Christ the King which features local Brighton bands performing after the Sunday 6:30 pm service in the lounge. Andy writes,
It was recently my pleasure to sit down with Trip to Dover – the Brighton based, Dutch-British rock band with an electronic edge, who also happen to attend Church of Christ the King.
Trip to Dover are playing at Live in the Lounge on June 14th before setting off for a tour around parts of northern Europe.  The band is made up of Johannes (Keys, vocal) and Olga Taal (vocals, guitar), Lewis Morgan (drums) and Rob Finch (bass).

AC: The first thing I have to ask is whether you’ve ever actually taken a trip to Dover?
Johannes: Olga and I have taken the ferry there a couple of times!
Olga: When we took the ferry for our auditions for the music school we went to last year (Nexus), we stood on the rear deck of the ferry. It was very early and foggy. It reminded us of our old life disappearing in the fog and a new life on the horizon and that’s where the band name basically came from. We were stepping into God’s purpose for our lives and trusting in Him. Rob and Lewis do the same as they tour through Europe and make their ‘Trip to Dover’ over land. A “Trip to Dover” is a continuous journey.

AC: How did you come to find yourself in Brighton?
Lewis: Brighton has a reputation for being a good live music scene. Have you been to Coventry?!  Seriously though, we felt it was the right place to come to.

AC: Why Brighton and not London?
Lewis: The Seaside! I really wanted to come to Brighton and had a heart to be here, but for the others it didn’t matter, so we decided to move down! Rob was at Chichester University at that time, but soon enough he decided to quit university join us here.

AC: And you formed whilst studying at Nexus?
Johannes: Yes. Nexus is a bible and music school, a one-year course. Although we knew each other, it was only in the last week that we came together. Then we got together properly in Brighton in September 2008, and a couple of days later got our first gig, a 15 minute show in the Czech Republic, so it was literally straight to work!

AC: How have you been enjoying gigging in Brighton? You were well received the last time you played Live in the Lounge!
Lewis: It’s been pretty good fun playing in Brighton so far. Most places we’ve played want us back, so that’s got to be a good thing!
Johannes: It was a lot of fun playing in CCK with such an enthusiastic crowd.

AC: And I think I’m right in saying you’ve been coming to CCK since September? How have you found being a part of the church?
Lewis: It feels like home now!
Rob: Being in a small group helps a lot too.

AC: Can you tell me a little of what you’ve been up to recently?
Olga: Well, our new EP’s arrived today, fresh from the factory!
Rob: We’ve been practicing new songs for our Europe tour!

AC: That sounds pretty exciting!
Johannes: We’re going on a month’s tour through Holland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Sweden. This is straight after our EP release in Brighton, and then we’re leaving a couple of days later.

AC: What are your plans for the future?  Staying local, or world domination?
Johannes: We can conquer the world from Brighton!
Lewis: Although we can’t say for sure, we’ll always need a ‘base’ so that may as well be Brighton.  We’d really like to be a band that people can relate to, through our music, but also in a personal way. We really try to meet as many people as possible at our shows.
Olga: At this moment we feel this is what God asks from us. With taking steps in obedience I also know how much He blesses us and how He pulls Trip to Dover forward to what He wants it to be. I’m really looking forward to the coming time/years to see what is going to happen!
Johannes: In order to do this, we need to make a living from music. So that is a goal, but sort of a means to an end. In the last year we have done as much gigging as possible, gained experience and tried to get our name out. For the next couple of months we hope to increase the number of shows and get in touch with booking agents and mangers.
Olga: We really like to play gigs in both churches and secular venues. That is part of our “vision” if you like. We think it would be good if there were more bands in the secular music scene that draw their inspiration from God.
Johannes: It is cool to see how young people sometimes open up to “the band”. I feel a responsibility there.
Olga: And in that we want to inspire people that we meet on the road to look for more than “just” life. On the other hand we want to encourage young Christians, inspiring them to pursue God and find their purpose for life.
Johannes: Sometimes it is as little as not being hammered at the end of the night… but it does give a signal!

AC: Great stuff ! And who are your Heroes?
Rob: Flea (bassist from Red Hot Chilli Peppers)
Johannes: When I was younger I admired people who were very strongly opinionated. Now I admire people who are just an inspiration in who they are. Showing you what to do without telling you.
Olga: From a musical perspective, I think Jon Foreman of Switchfoot is definitely a great example. I really like his way of songwriting and his attitude on and off stage.
Lewis: My dad is a legend

AC: And for the record, your failures?
Johannes: I left the keys in the van at our gig last Saturday…
Olga: I failed miserably once while during a gig I jumped backwards off the drum riser, turned around and tripped over my pedal board!
Rob: I totally stacked from a cable trolley when I was having an indoor race with our sound guy, Ben, in Holland (straight over the handles onto my face!)
Lewis: I never seem to know where we are in crucial video moments. and tend to come across very “Brighton” on video, if you catch my drift!

Phatfish are back! With the release of ‘In Jesus’, their latest album, comes the welcome return of the Brighton based song-smiths and a return to the youthful and vigorous sounds that made their 2001 release Heavenbound so successful; due in part to the injection of two new guitarists, Jos Wintermeyer and Ben Hall.

The album is yet another uplifting demonstration of the bands faithful commitment to presenting the truth of Christ, and is arguably their best work yet. This is the next chapter in the success story of this prolific band and is sure to contribute another set of soul-strengthening songs to fans old and new. From the blues-rock title track In Jesus, with its grungy rock guitars, chunky Hammond and shatteringly lucid presentation of the gospel, to the equally driving and compelling Mission - the album travels and journeys through a diverse soundscape with the ease and dexterity that fans have come to expect. Lou’s vocals are as soaring and accomplished as they have ever been, negotiating this fresh set of melodies with perfect clarity, while the rest of the band play with a zeal and energy that belies any assumption of the bands slowing down. This is Phatfish as we know and love them.

The lyrics are wonderfully potent; free from over poeticism and needless embellishment, they present the truths of scripture in the typical no-nonsense way that makes their work so edifying to listen to. A lyrical highlight is Lou Fellingham’s If I Have Not Love, a song that unassumingly echoes Paul’s sentiment in 1 Corinthians 13, and brings an honest, down to earth concession of our need to love and serve with Christ as our great example. Mike Sandeman’s Pardoned is another real highlight, and is the most anthemic on the album. With its quasi-hymnal passages and huge sound, the song is another spectacularly clear declaration of God’s great salvation plan. The final 2 minutes of the track are about as epic as you can get, with stunningly ethereal guitar and powerful drumming underscoring Lou’s inescapable line “All my sins are washed away, through your death, the price you paid”. A special moment in a fantastic song.

This album, amidst the currently dogged generic Christian music industry, comes as a bracing departure into new musical expressions and genres. No one Like Our God with its swirling retro synth sounds and the phenomenally hard-hitting proclamation of He Watches Over Me (my favourite track!) is a production tour de force and is rich in the kind of detail and flair that ranks this album among Phatfish’s best work yet.Buy this album.. it will do you good. After all this time, Phatfish are somehow still capable of offering superb songs, skilfully executed and packed with great biblical truths that will feed and strengthen individuals and churches alike.

•‘In Jesus’ is available now, and details of Phatfish tour dates are found at www.phatfish.net.

•Phatfish have a tour-date at CCK, in Brighton on June 13^th, supported by Seeker, doors open at 7pm. Tickets available here.

Don’t miss the chance to see Phatfish live at Clarendon Centre on Saturday June 13th.

Their Brighton gigs are always stand out events and this one will be no exception. With their brand new album – ‘In Jesus‘ – being released on June 4th, Lou and the boys are on top form and excited to have the opportunity to play their brand new songs as well as the Phatfish classics from over the years.

The event will be very much suited to bringing friends along to who may not yet have encountered Jesus or responded to the gospel.

You can buy tickets  online or from the CCK bookshop. Tickets are priced at £8. Concession tickets are available at £5 for under 18s and students.

You can also download an MP3 of  the title track from the brand new album ‘In Jesus’ from this link. Don’t delay – the offer runs out on June 1st!

Last week Brighton hosted the Great Escape – 300 new local and international artists showcased in 34 venues over just 3 days.

Tim Jones wrote the following for his tour around what has been called ‘Europe’s leading festival for new music:

That Brighton is fast becoming the European focal point for emerging bands was confirmed at the 4th annual Great Escape festival last week. The three day event that showcases some of the best international talent to both industry and fans alike, has come to be something of a counterpart to the legendary SXSW festival held each March in Texas.

Bands from as far as Norway, Canada, Japan, the USA and erm.. Bristol.. performed alongside the cream of local Brighton talent. Spread over 34 city centre venues, featuring a dizzying 300+ acts and clocking-in at under 50 quid, the event spoils you for choice and value.

We managed to catch around 30 of the key gigs and were also treated (via text-message heads-up!) to a number of ad-hoc ‘Street Gigs’. Now we sit back and watch for who makes it big this year…

Visit the official site here.

‘God’s answer to Eminem’ (as quoted by international Hip Hop magazine HHC) MC Tempo performed live alongside DJ Will Sykes, Addy P, Rachel Campball and Galan Abraham as he launched the new MC Tempo album ‘Direct From The Heart’.

‘It was pretty nerve racking doing a full scale performance on my home stomping ground. I feel God was glorified through it, and thats the main thing !!!’
- MC Tempo

For more information on this budding superstar, please visit www.mctempo.co.uk