Suffolk’s Waveney Valley may be best known for its rolling landscapes, historic market towns and coastal quiet, but a bold new music series is bringing fresh sounds to its rural heartlands. Launching in June 2025 and running until autumn 2026, Sonic Wave is a forward-thinking programme of live events set across two key venues—The Cut in Halesworth and The Fisher Theatre in Bungay—showcasing a rich spectrum of genre-defying music. From global folk fusions and cinematic electronica to Afro-jazz, activist glitch and experimental collaborations, the series is redefining what live music can feel like beyond the city.
The line-up reflects a commitment to musical discovery and cross-genre connection. The opening night pairs the expressive Afro-folk of Namvula with the ambient, jazz-infused electronics of Sunda Arc, while September sees The Fisher Theatre transformed into a dancefloor with Alex Etchart & Vientos, blending South American folk with glitchy electronics and queer activism, supported by loop-driven Irish singer-songwriter Emma O’Reilly. Later in the season, film composer David Julyan—known for scoring early Christopher Nolan films—will present reimagined soundtracks with a string quartet, alongside new material. DJ sets and local guest artists complete the bill across the series.
Led by Françoise Lamy of artist collective Addictive TV, and developed out of their internationally acclaimed Orchestra of Samples project, Sonic Wave not only champions boundary-pushing artists from East Anglia and beyond, but also opens up space for community dialogue, artist talks, workshops and immersive performance formats. As the series prepares for its inaugural season—with support from Arts Council England—we spoke with Françoise about the vision behind it, the challenges of rural touring, and why now is the moment to reimagine music on the margins.
Sonic Wave brings together a wide spectrum of genres, from folk and world music to jazz, electronica and more experimental forms. What was your approach when curating such an eclectic line-up, and how did you ensure the series flows as a cohesive experience?
We want our Sonic Wave nights to reflect a range of contemporary sounds and showcase new, original music. In rural areas, tribute bands and traditional folk tend to dominate programming, as they’re incredibly popular. But there’s also a growing appetite for more eclectic music, as we’ve seen ourselves through our own Orchestra of Samples project, which blends world music, folk and electronica. Most of the nights will feature two acts that may differ stylistically but complement each other, so audiences get to experience something new—whether that’s the opening or closing act. We’ll also have local DJs playing in the bar area, giving the nights more of a ‘happening’ atmosphere, in tune with the energy of the artists.
Your global music project, Orchestra of Samples, has taken you across continents, filming and sampling musicians from every corner of the world. How has this global perspective shaped the artistic direction of Sonic Wave, and what parallels do you see between the two?
Definitely open-mindedness—being receptive to different types of music and open to discovering sounds you may not have encountered before. Orchestra of Samples has always been about that: travelling and encountering unfamiliar music. With Sonic Wave, we’re bringing that spirit to the Waveney Valley in Suffolk.
Namvula and Sunda Arc open the series in June. What was the thinking behind launching Sonic Wave with these two artists, and what kind of atmosphere are you hoping to create on that first night?
These two acts embody everything we aim to programme. Wherever possible, we pair an East Anglian artist with a touring act from further afield. The two brothers who formed Sunda Arc are originally from Norwich and quite well known locally—so they’re a strong starting point. Namvula’s Afro-folk pairs beautifully with the duo’s downtempo, cinematic electronic jazz. We’re aiming to create a sonic feast!
September 2025’s event at The Fisher Theatre in Bungay takes on a different energy, transforming the space into a dancefloor for Alex Etchart & Vientos—blending South American folklore with glitchy electronica and activist themes—and Irish singer-songwriter Emma O’Reilly. What led to this shift in format, and how does the setting shape the live experience, particularly in a rural venue like The Fisher?
The Cut in Halesworth is a brilliant venue, but its main theatre space has fixed seating. The Fisher, however, is more adaptable—we can remove all the seats. That gave us the opportunity to curate something more upbeat, like Alex Etchart & Vientos. Their roots are in folk, but with a glam-electronic twist, blending styles in really exciting ways. Bungay is also home to the Bungay Folk Festival, where traditional folk is hugely popular—so we want to explore folk with a twist. Coincidentally, the festival invited us to perform this year’s closing night with Orchestra of Samples—we’re definitely not traditional folk, but we straddle that line. To support Alex, we’ve programmed Emma O’Reilly, who does an amazing solo set using loop pedals and electronics—her voice is incredible! DJs Sherpa Beats and Son of Jim will round out the night with danceable global beats.
You’ve woven workshops and ‘in conversation’ sessions into the Sonic Wave programme. Why was it important to make Sonic Wave not just a concert series but also a space for deeper dialogue and artistic exploration?
Audiences are curious—they want to understand the artist’s perspective, how they approach their work, their creative process. Some of the artists we’re booking are ideal for that. The first ‘in conversation’ will be in November with film composer David Julyan, who scored several of Christopher Nolan’s early films, including The Prestige and Memento. He’ll be performing re-workings of those soundtracks with a string quartet, alongside new compositions. Next year, we’re planning a few workshops—perhaps on voice improvisation and soundscape creation—in collaboration with local creatives.
At a time when small venues are closing and touring is increasingly unsustainable, what concrete role do you see Sonic Wave playing in supporting and nurturing the grassroots scene in places like Halesworth and Bungay?
In rural areas, venues are even more vital—often, there’s only one in town, serving the entire surrounding community. They’re a key access point to arts and culture. Halesworth and Bungay both benefit from local galleries, pubs, and a variety of music and arts festivals, but the venues we’re working with are the only dedicated music and arts spaces in each town. Helping them broaden their programming is hugely important.
You’ve secured support from Arts Council England. How did this backing help shape the ambition and reach of the series, and how crucial is public funding for projects like this right now?
Public funding is absolutely essential, especially in this region. That’s what the Arts Council’s grassroots fund is designed for—at a time when two music venues a week are reportedly closing in the UK. Where will future talent develop? Where will they perform? For us, the funding helps remove financial risk—especially as audiences are buying tickets later and later. It also allows us to programme original and exciting artists who might not otherwise get a platform—rather than relying on well-known acts who don’t need the same support.
Sonic Wave evolved from two sell-out shows you played last year. What did you take away from the audience reactions at those events, and how did that energy feed into this new series?
We realised that more cross-genre and adventurous acts can definitely work in rural Suffolk. We’ll be programming artists that appeal to that same curious audience—so we’re hoping to build on that energy and establish Sonic Wave as a name people look out for.
Looking beyond 2025, is there a broader vision for Sonic Wave? Could it become a regular fixture, expand across East Anglia, or even develop into something national?
Who knows? We’re just getting started, but yes—it would be great to expand to more venues in the Waveney Valley and across Suffolk. We’re already doing a small rural tour this summer with Orchestra of Samples, so if any of the venues are keen to collaborate, we’re open to it. We’re also in early discussions with the team behind Drum Camp near Bungay—they’ll be celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2026. So, watch this space! As for national touring, we’d need a unique proposition—but it’s definitely an idea worth exploring.
East Anglia isn’t always seen as a major cultural hub, but that’s changing. How do you see Sonic Wave contributing to the region’s evolving cultural identity, especially in terms of music and cross-genre collaboration?
This region is full of creatives—musicians, visual artists, filmmakers, writers. Many have moved here over the past decade, drawn by the beauty of the area. Folk music is everywhere, but there are other scenes too—early music, EMOM (Electronic Music Open Mic) nights, and the Woodbridge Ambient Music Festival, to name a few. Sonic Wave sits at the crossroads of all these genres. There’s a lot of cross-disciplinary creativity in Suffolk—classical musicians involved in experimental theatre, for instance—and we want to support and encourage that kind of collaboration.
What are you doing to make sure Sonic Wave is open and inclusive—from ticket pricing and outreach to ensuring diversity among artists and audiences?
We try to be as inclusive as possible, and the Arts Council funding has really helped us keep ticket prices accessible—seeing two excellent acts for £15 is rare these days. That said, reaching audiences and encouraging early bookings remains a challenge. We’ve started outreach with community music groups, youth groups and colleges, but it takes time to build relationships. Our programming spans a wide range of styles, so we can connect with diverse audiences—for example, Alex Etchart, performing in September, is also an LGBT+ activist, so we’ll link up with the team behind Bungay Pride. Later, film composer David Julyan gives us a perfect opportunity to engage the local filmmaking community.
Suffolk has a unique mix of isolation and inspiration: quiet rural spaces, tight-knit communities, and often limited infrastructure. From your experience, what works well in terms of music-making, and what still needs improvement to support artists and audiences?
Music-making is thriving here, especially folk—there are regular pub jams, and the area has a legacy of countercultural gatherings like the Albion Fairs in the ’70s. Ipswich is a fairly sizeable town with an electronic music scene and a rave legacy from the ’90s. We’ve also ended up at a fair number of underground parties! The issue is infrastructure—public transport needs improvement, particularly with later trains and more buses for evening events. Accommodation is also scarce and costly, so we’re exploring hosting touring artists with local residents. Most visiting artists currently drive back after shows—something we’d love to change.
What’s next for Orchestra of Samples? Are there upcoming performances or collaborations that echo the spirit of Sonic Wave—perhaps in Suffolk or further afield?
We’re doing a mini-tour of Suffolk with Orchestra of Samples, in partnership with Creative Arts East, who support rural touring across the region. Now that we’ve lived in Suffolk for a number of years, it made sense to bring the project to towns and villages that wouldn’t usually get the chance to experience it. We’re inviting local musicians on stage too—like Lizzie Wood of The Ukes of Southwold, pianist Will Fergusson, singer Kitty May, and percussionists Gary Newland (who runs Drum Camp) and George Fothergill, founder of Status Creative, a charity supporting marginalised artists. We’re also in talks with George about a collaborative project.
Your work often blurs the boundaries between live music, technology and visual art. Are any of these multimedia elements feeding into the Sonic Wave shows as well?
The venues we’re using both have large screens, so there’s potential to programme artists who integrate visuals into their performances. We definitely want to offer unique live experiences, but we’ll see how the early nights go and let audience feedback shape what comes next—anything too cutting edge might be a harder sell to start with.
Can you imagine a future where Sonic Wave and Orchestra of Samples directly collide—say, an event where visiting artists join you on stage for spontaneous sampling and collaboration?
Absolutely! That’s something we definitely want to explore—perhaps as part of a double bill with Orchestra of Samples in the future.
To wrap up—if you were to write a short invitation to readers, inviting them to a Sonic Wave event, what would you say?
You may not know much about Suffolk—or even where it is—but our events are just 15 minutes from the wild beaches of the beautiful Heritage Coast. So, to all you readers out there: treat yourself to a weekend away, soak up the open skies and incredible fresh food, and time it just right to catch a Sonic Wave night!
You can catch and ride the Sonic Wave from 13 June at The Cut Arts Centre in Halesworth. Tickets for the show are available HERE