Matthew and the Atlas

Matthew and the Atlas is a British folk rock project led by Hampshire songwriter Matt Hegarty. This Bristol date presents the band's Temple album and its acoustic companion, ten years after their release.

Matthew and the Atlas is the project of songwriter Matt Hegarty, who has been writing and performing under this name for around fifteen years. The music blends folk, indie and atmospheric songwriting, and the band, formed in Aldershot, builds its songs on multi-instrumental arrangements. Their first album, Other Rivers, came out in 2014.

This evening marks the tenth anniversary of Temple and of its acoustic companion, Temple Unplugged. Hegarty is joined on stage by longtime collaborators Emma Gatrill and Alex Roberts, and the trio perform Temple Unplugged in full. The arrangements draw on double bass, banjo, harp, piano, clarinet and acoustic guitar, and the set also covers songs from across the Matthew and the Atlas catalogue.

The Lantern at Bristol Beacon hosts concerts and shows in the city. The night suits listeners who follow the band's songwriting and want to hear the Temple material reworked in a stripped-back format.