On the eve of International Women's Day, as part of the weekly 'Free Range' series of experimental music/poetry/film/arts [http://www.freerangecanterbury.org/], Canterbury will be graced by an extraordinary ensemble performing the works of one of my greatest musical heros, the composer/bassoonist Lindsay Cooper (1951-2013).

The group, led by Japanese keyboard player Yumi Hara (who has worked with Hugh Hopper, Daevid Allen and many others associated with the Canterbury Scene of yore) features Chris Cutler and Tim Hodgkinson's from Lindsay's legendary band Henry Cow, the bassoon parts being covered by the brilliant Chloe Herrington (also known for her work in Kavus Torabi's band Knifeworld). The sextet is completed by Japanese avantgarde stalwarts Mitsuru Nasuno and Atsuko Kamura.

The next night (IWD), they'll be playing at London's ultra-prestigious Cafe OTO for £25. But here, as part of Free Range, they're playing for free/donations! This will be a major musical event in Canterbury's recent history - don't miss out...

"Yumi Hara formed Half The Sky in 2015 to perform Lindsay Cooper’s music in Japan. The original group was entirely Japanese, with the exception of original drummer and lyricist Chris Cutler. This group - with small personnel changes - was later invited to Europe, when it was joined by the songs’ original singer Dagmar Krause. For these new European concerts the line-up adds two more members of Henry Cow, for whom much of this material was written, and we call ourselves Lindsay Cooper Songbook. As was true of the original bands Henry Cow and News From Babel - the new line-up retains an equal gender split."