ONE OF the UK’s most distinctive cross-disciplinary acts, LYR, will perform at this year’s St Ives September Festival on Thursday, September 17.

Adding a unique blend of poetry, music and immersive soundscapes to the festival’s eclectic programme, the concert will take place in the atmospheric setting of the 15th-century St Ia Church, offering a fitting backdrop for an evening of reflection, imagination and musical exploration.

Founded by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, singer-songwriter Richard Walters and multi-instrumentalist producer Patrick J Pearson, LYR has earned widespread acclaim for its innovative fusion of spoken word, post-rock and atmospheric electronics.

Together, the trio transforms Armitage’s poetry into powerful musical experiences, combining soaring vocals, cinematic arrangements and evocative lyricism.

Their live performances have developed a reputation for transporting audiences through rich sonic landscapes where poetry and music become inseparable.

For Simon, the appearance marks another chapter in a long-standing connection with Cornwall and St Ives. Born in Marsden on the edge of the Pennine moors, Armitage has often drawn inspiration from landscape and place in his writing.

He first visited St Ives during the week of the 1999 solar eclipse, finding last-minute accommodation in Love Lane, and has returned frequently ever since.

Although he famously avoids bringing a computer when visiting Cornwall, Armitage has said that many of his poems have originated during his time in St Ives. Like Barbara Hepworth before him, he has spoken of finding unexpected connections between the landscapes of Yorkshire and Cornwall.

His affinity with the Southwest extends beyond St Ives. In 2013 he undertook a fundraising walk along the Southwest Coast Path from Minehead to Land’s End, collecting donations in a sock during poetry readings en route before completing the journey in the Isles of Scilly.

Tickets for LYR and all festival events are available now via the official festival website at www.stivesseptemberfestival.co.uk