Enjoy a night of music whilst you enjoy the atmosphere of a night in the Cathedral under Mars.
Steve Thompson
Steve Thompson is a distinguished musician, composer, and visionary whose career spans classical, jazz, popular music, and avant-garde electronic fusion. From 1991 to 1995, he studied trombone and electronic music at Trinity College of Music in London, earning the prestigious Jazz Scholarship in 1995–96.
Following his formal education, Steve collaborated with an impressive array of ensembles and artists, from the London Concert Orchestra and the Glenn Miller Orchestra to virtuoso violinist Nigel Kennedy. Equally at home in the mainstream, he has performed with luminaries such as Jamie Cullum, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Charlotte Church, Alison Moyet, Lisa Stansfield, Robert Smith (The Cure), Madness, D-Ream, Eric Idol, Phil Jupitas, Ant & Dec, and numerous others. In the early days of his career, he also worked alongside veteran entertainers like Max Bygraves and Barry Cryer and appeared on the final Two Ronnies Sketch Book TV special.
In 2016, Steve launched 1201_Alarm, a groundbreaking musical project that fuses science, jazz, electronica, classical, and experimental soundscapes. The collective’s debut album, Hello_World, released in February 2020, was hailed as “intriguing, different, unclassifiable and somehow compelling” [freejazzblog.org]. One reviewer remarked that the album “creates an incredible mix of live instruments with electronically produced sounds, used not to overwhelm but rather create a new chimera of complete beauty” [freejazzblog.org].
Building on that momentum, the band’s second album, Moonshot, arrived in November 2023. A reviewer admired the album’s “wonderfully textured harmonies” and lauded Steve as “a gifted musician when it comes to sound layering” [platinummind.net]. In an extraordinary feat, Hello_World was placed aboard the Peregrine Lander spacecraft as part of an arts payload bound for the Moon. The mission, despite a fuel leak aborting the landing, completed a full lunar orbit before returning to Earth. In honour of this audacious journey, the band released Moonshot to mark the event.
Looking ahead, 1201_Alarm is slated to release its third and final album, Biophilia, in 2027. The ensemble has enthralled audiences globally, performing at Singapore’s science festival sponsored by Lucasfilm and at the opening of the Geek House in Texas. They have also delivered memorable performances in London, including one beneath Luke Jerram’s iconic Moon installation in Southwark Cathedral.
Steve’s solo showcase, A Brief History of the Evolution of Electronic Sound, launched last year to critical acclaim. Tonight, Steve will present an eclectic and dynamic program featuring tracks from across his albums alongside celebrated electronic pioneers including Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis, Kraftwerk, Daphne Oram, Wendy Carlos, Delia Derbyshire, and more.
Tickets (via Mars box office) £12.00
Ticket includes glass of prosecco on arrival. (soft drink option).
Buying a ticket for Mars: War & Peace helps support the missional work of Chelmsford Cathedral.