Former Cold War weapons testing site that inspired artists to stage concerts

A remote shingle spire that was once a Cold War weapons testing site will host a series of readings from an author inspired by its landscape, as well as performances from a singer-songwriter influenced by his work .

Orford Ness, on the Suffolk coast, was used as a military testing site during both world wars and the nuclear age, before the Ministry of Defense sold it to the National Trust in 1993.

It has been left to nature and is home to abundant wildlife, including nesting and wading birds, hares, Chinese water deer and valuable vegetated pebbles.

All of this is subject to changes induced by climate and coastal change.

Author Robert Macfarlane's 2019 book Ness, illustrated by Radiohead artist Stanley Donwood, is set in and inspired by the landscape and history of Orford Ness.

Singer-songwriter Hayden Thorpe, best known as the frontman of indie pop band Wild Beasts, was inspired by Macfarlane's book and decided to make an album, also called Ness, which is due out September 27.

Macfarlane and Thorpe will both perform at Orford Ness in a concert series called Ness Speaks: Words And Music on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 September.

The event will feature an intimate acoustic performance by Thorpe, joined by cross-genre musical ensemble Propellor.

There will also be a question and answer session and reading from Macfarlane.

The author said: “Orford Ness has long been a place of transformation and change, so it is entirely logical and exciting for me to see my own words about the site taken up and transfigured into music by Hayden Thorpe.

“Working with Jack McNeill and Kerry Andrew, he created something profoundly strange and extremely original: a nuclear epic, a dreamlike vision of desert music.
I can't wait to hear it performed in its entirety, in situ.

Thorpe said: “Visiting Orford Ness with Robert Macfarlane is like being guided through his Graceland.

“The same life force in Ness that drove him to write his visionary book spread through me like an electric current.

“A strange beauty arises from the creation of works as ambitious as they are improbable.

“Ness Speaks represents the sum total of our collective fever dream.

“It’s not often that you can truly live in a song, but for these specials, it couldn’t be more true.”

Ness Speaks: Words And Music builds on previous artistic collaborations at Orford Ness.

In 2021, the National Trust partnered with Artangel to produce Afterness, an exhibition featuring work from a collection of international artists.

Glen Pearce, Director of Orford Ness Property Operations, said: “The unique landscape and fascinating, often secret history of Orford Ness has inspired countless artists and writers from many different genres, and we are delighted to bring together so many of them in the same space. this month of September.

“Ness Speaks will be a fusion of music, literature and art, all produced in some of the most unique landscapes on the Suffolk coast.

“We hope Orford Ness will fascinate our visitors with each visit, but we are sure it will be something unique and offer something different, even to those who have visited it before.”

Visitors will be able to book a ticket and ferry ride for one of the weekend's four timed shows, and take advantage of a discounted tour itinerary to get a sense of the place that has inspired so many artists and writers over the decades.

Tickets cost £35 and will include the ferry crossing, show and a self-guided walk.

Orford Ness is open to the public on set days between March 29 and October 27, with access permitted only by the National Trust ferry, Octavia.

For more information visit the website at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/orfordness