Bev Lee Harling - songs and stories from her new album Ploughing The Salt Sea.
"Brimming with a briny atmosphere and salty storytelling. It's a gloriously staged slice of theatre" **** Songlines
The Mint House - Home of Sussex Folklore is really pleased to present this beautiful show of the songs from Ploughing the Salt Sea.
Weaving haunting melodies with real family histories, this unique musical offering taken from her sellout one woman show, explores hidden pasts, lost voices, and the enduring pull of place and heritage.
Rooted in her home town of Hastings, Harling tells stories unearthed from her maternal family line—many of which had long been buried. After the passing of her mum, who had been fostered and remained secretive about her past, Bev began a journey of discovery. Through conversations with her dying father, family tree research and local interviews, she uncovered tales of sea-faring ancestors, hard-working women, scandal, and a whole lot of heart.
“After she died, I was left with holes in my understanding of who I am and where I belong, Ploughing The Salt Sea is a way of stitching those pieces back together.”
Songs feature a murderous pub landlady, a great uncle lost at sea, a roguish grandfather, and the quiet tragedy of her mother’s decline—real and imagined memories that give life to songs steeped in vulnerability and strength.
