St Agnes Fountain play Grayshott and Hailsham

Spokesman James Wallace said: “Since their first get together to record the eponymous St Agnes Fountain album in 2001, the quartet – David Hughes, Fairport Convention's Chris Leslie and multi-award winning duo Chris While and Julie Matthews – have brought musical invention and laughter to the star-dust atmosphere of the season.

“In 2020, David decided to leave the band to concentrate on solo pursuits and whilst his presence will be missed, Chris, Chris and Julie will be keeping the Christmas Aggie spirit alive and touring as a trio celebrating 21 years together with a tour of the new material and reworking those old Aggie classics.

“The Aggies’ latest album, Night Of A Million Stars was released in time for the December 2021 tour with 9 brand new songs from the band.

“Although the albums accompany the putting up of a thousand Christmas trees throughout Britain and around the globe as their reputation reaches further afield, it is, without question, their magical live performances that have endeared them to an ever-growing audience. Tickets were again being sold for this year's tour as the curtain fell last year.”

Chris While and Julie Matthews have been nominated ten times in the BBC Folk Awards in the Best Song, Best Duo and 'Best Live Act categories and winning Best Duo in 2009. In 2019 year they celebrated 25 years with a brand new album and an extensive tour of the UK to celebrate as well as numerous summer festival performances including the Pengwern Stage While and Matthews Take Over where they curated that stage August of that year to celebrate their anniversary. Chris and Julie are more powerful and popular than ever in their 28th year as a duo and remain at the very top of their game.

Chris Leslie is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter from Oxfordshire. Primarily known for the past 20 years for his work with Fairport Convention, he has toured and recorded with, amongst others Steve Ashley, the Albion Band, Jez Lowe, Ian Anderson, Chris While and Julie Matthews, Whippersnapper, Alan Stivell, Feast of Fiddles and St Agnes Fountain. Chris has also provided music for a number of Radio Four plays and classic serials. His fiddle playing has also been heard on the TV series Heartbeat, Midsommer Murders and Billy Connolly’s World Tour of Scotland. Chris plays fiddle, mandolin, tenor guitar, bouzouki, ukulele, banjo, oud, whistle and native American flute and “anything else he can lay his hands on.