Florence + The Machine harpist among musicians taking part in Frome Festival’s ‘25 for 25’ fundraising launch
- Becky Percival
- 12 hours ago
- 4 min read
Frome Festival is launching its ‘25 for 25’ fundraising campaign with a very special concert featuring three locally based acts: Tom Moth – best known as the harpist for multi-platinum-selling band Florence + The Machine – alt-folk duo māsa, and brand-new soul/funk collective The Juice.
The event, taking place at The Tunnels on Saturday 29th November, kicks off Frome Festival’s ambitious campaign that aims to raise £25,000 before the start of next year’s festival in July. Founded in 2001, Frome Festival’s silver anniversary offers an opportunity to celebrate 25 years of creativity while securing the future of this much-loved community arts event for the next generation.
Following Tom Moth’s sold-out Festival performance at Rook Lane Chapel this summer, the ‘25 for 25’ fundraiser provides an additional chance to hear his own original work. Tom explains, “I enjoy crafting sounds using various acoustic and electronic devices, so whilst the harp will be involved, the performance won’t strictly be a harp recital!”
Tom is a big supporter of Frome Festival and is carving out some time between a busy international promotional schedule for Florence’s newly released album, Everybody Scream, and their upcoming European/US tour, which starts in February. The lauded harpist moved to Frome a couple of years ago as he felt it was somewhere he could exist happily. He says of the town, “I love that there’s such a welcoming and proactive creative community. It seems like there’s always something happening, whether it’s a gig, an exhibition, or community-based activity.”
Sisters Faron and Merle of māsa are returning from a hiatus to support this fundraiser, sharing their beautiful harmony based alt-folk compositions. Merle said, "We’ve lived in Frome for a few years now and really value its creative and independent spirit as a town. This aspect of it seems to be growing and getting even stronger as time passes." māsa have played at Frome Festival several times over the years, including a headline slot at the Silk Mill, and have also collaborated on a sonic guided walk of the town, called We Are All Sonambulists - “This was a great way to learn about the town’s history and feel inspired by its ghosts and stories", explained Merle.
Faron added, "We were really pleased to be invited to play at this fundraiser, because it’s so important to keep community driven events that support the arts going. Now more than ever we need creativity and connection to unite us, and keeping Frome Festival alive and kicking is one small way of doing so."
As to their future plans, māsa have recently been recording and plan to release new songs next year.
Ending the night with party vibes is The Juice, a fresh five-piece soul outfit who made their debut with a secret set during Sofar Sounds at Frome Festival in July. Drawing their members from a collective of local musicians, they write tunes which draw on 70s soul, pop and funk, “with a sprinkling of Juicified covers”. Members of The Juice have also featured in The Enrichments, Mighty One, Samuel Jack, Twin Falls and Littlemen.
Joe James, The Juice frontman, stated, "As a local band, supporting Frome Festival means a lot to us. We can't wait to bring The Juice to our hometown and share our new musical project with the people who shaped us". Bass player, Jack Opie, added, "The community spirit and arts scene in Frome is a huge reason that it is such a wonderful place to live, and the Festival is obviously a critical part of this - it's massively important to us all that the Festival keeps on going, and we're all really excited to be playing our small part in helping its future."
Sarah Swales, Frome Festival Manager, said, “I’m constantly amazed by the incredible talent we have here in Frome, and I’m thrilled that these performers are generously donating their time and remarkable skills to support the Festival. Each of the three acts brings a unique musical style, and all are outstanding in their own right.” She added, “We’re also hugely grateful to Baz, Josh, and everyone at The Tunnels for hosting the event. In the current climate, it’s more important than ever to support our venues and keep live music thriving.”
Frome Festival’s ‘25 for 25’ campaign will celebrate a quarter of a century of being at the heart of Frome’s creative community with special events throughout the year. All monies raised will support growing the organisation, developing an education strand and maintaining the rich programme of free and low-cost activities across Frome Festival.
Supporters can help by attending fundraising concerts and activities in the lead up to Frome Festival 2026, become a Friend of Frome Festival to receive priority Festival booking and exclusive year-round perks, or donate directly to the charity.
Adam Laughton, Festival Director, explained, “It is remarkable to see how Frome has embraced Frome Festival across the last 25 years – everyone I speak to has a story to tell about their favourite moments. Across the next year, we aim to capture that spirit and celebrate Frome’s deep love and support of the arts, looking back at a quarter of a century of amazing work and plotting a course for the next 25 years. Through a campaign like this, we are looking to ensure the next generation can continue to experience the unique benefits of accessible, local live arts.”
‘Frome Festival Fundraiser with Tom Moth / māsa / The Juice’ takes place on Saturday 29 November at The Tunnels, doors 7.30pm.
Advance tickets are £18 available through the Frome Festival website or £20 on the door.
More info can be found on: https://fromefestival.co.uk/25years/
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