Celebrating Mystery

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The Church of Wow was born out of a need for celebration and an unmet need for community.

As a celebrant, I'm a sucker for ceremony... it is the punctuation of life. After years of 'church shopping'... exploring different rituals, temples, religions and practices... I can honestly say that I never felt at home anywhere. I enjoyed elements from all the places I visited but never found anything that fully resonated with me. I never found a place where the music or the singing drew me back... where the prayers spoke to me in such a way I could join in wholeheartedly. I appreciated the silence of the Quakers... the meditative calm, the cakes and the concise, heartfelt contributions... but it never quite quenched the thirst that had first been slaked in my early twenties.

As a young man, strolling along the seafront in Brighton one Sunday afternoon, I discovered a group of eight drummers, huddled under the West Pier frantically warming their hands between bouts of high quality West African rhythms. Exceptional percussionists as they were, I joined them and we played together as the sun went down, watching the murmurations of starlings dancing over the pier. After that first encounter, I returned every Sunday, bar Christmas, for the next three years... and came to see that I was the only one who attended so religiously. One day, I remember saying to myself that I had found my church. At its peak, this spontaneous phenomenon attracted over 1000 people sprawled out over the beach. It was true magic.

But then the event fell foul of the authorities and the council brought it to a close, the pier eventually became another development project. That killed Brighton for me and my relationship with the place never recovered. I realised how profoundly that experience had shaped my understanding of what a celebration could be like.

As the event grew... all sorts of people brought their different styles and the event became a patchwork of embellishments. Some would bring sage... others would bring frankincense. Some would light candles or juggle fire. All sorts of percussion instruments found their way onto the seafront and I learned enormous amounts about sound and how people can connect through music. There was a moment when people's voices were suddenly activated and I remember looking out across the sprawling circle to see lines of people standing shoulder to shoulder, naturally forming into choirs who were singing together without any orchestration.

The Church of Wow grew out of mourning the end of the Brighton drum session.

During those years of playing music out in the elements, I came to realise how profoundly music can bond a group of people together. Without exchanging words, intimacy grows through musical connection, especially through voices. During those years of playing as the sun went down, I got a picture of how regular celebrations would have formed through the aeons of human development. Knowing that there is a time in the week or the month for setting aside our normal 'rational' behaviour to sing, to dance and to play has been a fundamental part of human development. Pat Power, a seminal force in the Samba scene was once quoted by Gareth Stevens as saying:

“Humans have always been hard-wired for ritual; they have a collective need for ceremony. Whilst the demise of organised religion and the loss of collective worship have left a gap, our need to come together and celebrate is still there.”

Indeed, many people found their tribe at that time... and all it took was a place to meet and some good musicians to get things going.

An outdoor location without some degree of weather protection is hard going. The West Pier afforded a certain amount of weather proofing... you could still be out of the wind and the rain and yet out in the elements. But the chances of finding a location where neighbours do not become an issue is nigh impossible.

The Great Hall on London Road in St Leonards is the perfect location for something to grow. The Church of Wow takes place on Saturdays above the thriving market where delicious food is served. The hall is fantastic for a community music event and the acoustics are perfect. The tower lends itself to singing while the main hall is perfect for percussion. So far, some fantastic drummers have been attending and the quality of music has been phenomenal. People can be seen dancing with their eyes closed, exploring their voices and their bodies.

Attendees are known as 'Shakers'... like Quakers without the cake. The small community that is forming is certainly made up of a group of movers and shakers, people who connect lots of different groups across the town.

After the celebrations, people usually hang out for coffees or lunch and a really lovely moment is shared. If you have a thing for music or dancing... or singing... or merely being in the presence of simple rituals and human connection, The Church of Wow might be for you.