The Louisiana, Bristol, GB
Tuesday, 14 June, 2022
8:00pm
£14
16 plus, under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
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The Prince Memorial Chapel, a one-room, wood-sided building, has stood in Peguis First Nation in Manitoba, Canada since 1929. The chapel, no longer in use, holds in its name a story of family, identity and history that began a century before the chapel was built, and will continue long after it falls apart.
On Gospel First Nation, William Prince tells us this story through the music of his childhood, songs of faith, struggle and grace. These are songs he learned and sang with his father in that chapel named for his great grandfathers, all preachers. William’s family home, the community of Peguis First Nation, is named for Prince’s ancestor, Chief Peguis, one of the highest regarded leaders of his time. When Chief Peguis was baptized, he took the name William King; in keeping with royal protocol, as an expression of pride and with the unknown weight of the consequences of all of the decisions he made with the arrival of colonizers on the land, named his children Princes. Like names, the songs of Gospel First Nation link generations, from son to father to grandfather and back even further.
Before we even listen, the song selection on Gospel First Nation tells us much about who and where this album comes from. There are three originals, including “When Jesus Needs an Angel,” a song Prince wrote at age 14. The other new songs, including the title track, were written shortly after Prince’s sophomore album Reliever was released in early 2020. These songs emerged as a natural response to the worry and disruption of the time. “We are living through an age of grief; grieving our lives, routines and families at the hand of a pandemic. I found myself wishing to return to this place of comfort amidst all the chaos.”
With support Tom Bright
Show starts at 8:00pm.
