St Aldates Worship (in partnership with Bespoke Records) has now released it’s new live album “Until You Do (Live)” alongside new single ‘Gravity’. “These songs have an air of passionate and soul searching honesty to them… these songs have really been thought about, musically and lyrically, and they have soul and passion in abundance”.
After the success of singles ‘Loyal In Your Love’ and ‘Raised With Christ’ (both featuring on Spotify’s New Music Friday Christian), St Aldates Worship have followed up with final single ‘Gravity’ in the build-up to the release of “Until You Do (Live)”. ‘Gravity’ is a modern church anthem previously featured on ‘Ultimate Worship 2016’ (Integrity Music).
Until You Do (Live) is a powerful collection of 13 songs recorded live in Oxford- an authentic blend of upbeat and sing-able praise songs (‘Loyal In Your Love’, ‘Search The World’, ‘Come Awaken Us’), simple worship anthems (‘You Restore My Soul’, ‘Set Apart’) and more intimate expressions (‘Come To The Water’, ‘Thank You’). This project was developed over nearly a decade of songwriting – a natural overflow and culmination of obediently seeing which songs have connected with a local community, then sharing those with the wider church.
// FOR OVER 1,000 YEARS
St Aldates Church, Oxford (UK) has been a place where worship has happened for over a thousand years. In modern times St Aldates Worship has cemented a firm place in the UK worship scene – not least through 2007’s pioneering Stand In Awe (led by Martyn Layzell, ‘Lost In Wonder’) and their last release, You: A Worship Project. In early 2015, the vision of songwriting at St Aldates was reset with a goal to focus primarily on serving the local worshipping community of the church itself. That summer, a clear call from God led the community to remain hidden and develop their craft- the fruits of which matured into ‘The Annual’ project- seeing the church release a song every month via their YouTube channel throughout 2018.
Under the leadership of Jamie Thomson and Lauren Harris, St Aldates Worship has grown and developed- in an underground way- attracting talented songwriters such as Tom Read. They have formed a creative community penning songs that faithfully serve the local church but demonstrate a deep marrying of theology, poetry and accessibility – including modern classics that have already started to travel beyond their walls; ‘Gravity’ and the much loved New Wine anthem ‘You Restore My Soul’.
“I honestly can’t believe what God has done among us over this last season.” Jamie Thomson, Worship and Creative Director writes, “I remember talking through the new vision all those years ago and writing a list of people we would need to bring it to reality. The only thing I remember thinking as I looked through the list was “this can’t happen”. To then receive a prophetic word saying that God sees what you are building, but He wants you to build it hidden from sight was a huge challenge to us. In an age of globalised church, we have rediscovered beauty in writing for the local church, for our own community. We realised it’s about writing songs for the people that are in front of you- I think that shows in the strength of these songs. As for the list- I’ve still got it. It’s a testament to God’s faithfulness: every single role has been realised as part of the team who brought this project to life.”
// UNTIL YOU DO
The desire to be a community of songwriters who write real songs about real-life came into sharp focus in 2016 when a number of songwriters lost parents over the course of a year. In the midst of lament and mourning St Aldates songwriters found they had words and melodies that could not only articulate the pain that so many of us feel through grief but songs that could also bring comfort amidst tragedy. This theme has organically become one of the core threads of the album, but it’s the title track ‘Until You Do’ (written by Esther-Jane White and Jamie Thomson) that not only best sums it up, but that has become the heartfelt cry of the community. ‘Until You Do’ is a raw, emotional admission of the pain of grief, but at the same time a testimony to the promises of God.
His faithfulness in such times brings the album full circle to the ‘1000 years’ concept- he has been, and forever will be Loyal is His Love.
Tom Read, songwriter: “When I moved to Oxford it was for a 1-year sabbatical… I’m still here nearly 6 years later! Coming from a church that was relatively young, the fact that worship has taken place for over 1,000 years at St Aldates was a huge inspiration to me. It’s very easy for us to become focussed on our own lives, and what God is doing for us in the present- but to see plaques on the wall of the church dedicated to the work of God in people’s lives hundreds of years ago can be very impactful. I am so proud to be a part of this project and so excited about this collection of songs and the journey we have been on as a community. This project is like those plaques on the walls of our church. It captures just a small moment in the history of worship at St Aldates and we get to be part of that moment. I hope that hundreds of years from now, the future members of St Aldates will be able to look back on this moment and that it will inspire them in their worship. I’ve been involved in my fair share of worship projects over the years, and this is the most excited I’ve been about a worship album in a very VERY long time.”
Charlie Cleverley, Rector, St Aldates Church: “These songs were born out of community – forged through friendships, and refined in the fire. They are stunning. I believe they will sustain you, encourage and inspire you with joy to hold on to God and to grow strong.“
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★ ★ ★ ★ ★ – Louder Than The Music || ★ ★ ★ ★ – Premier Christianity Magazine
