Portsmouth Victorian organ features on band's new music

The 130-year-old traditional pipe organ from St Mary’s Church in Fratton Road lends notes and stops to a new collaboration by Damos Room.

The Organ Project helped out the artists, featuring writers Pondoo and Polar Kid with vocals from Portsmouth-born Rex Domino, with their third mix in a bi-monthly series, providing samples and compositions on the organ.

The collaboration comes in the form of Matt Dixon, the assistant organist and project manager at the church, playing a mixture of Damos Room compositions.

Alongside this, samples of the various notes and stops of the organ and on-the-spot improvisations are recorded and captured.

The Organ Project aims to help restore its unique 130-year-old pipe organ, a centrepiece for St Mary’s Church and the community around it.

The project organisers were excited when Damos Room reached out to collaborate, providing the perfect opportunity to share this magnificent instrument before being sent off for restoration.

Earlier in the year, the Organ Project was awarded £764,000 for a three-year project to restore the organ.

At the time, the vicar, Canon Bob White, said: ‘We look forward to sharing one of the treasures in our city with the whole community over the coming three years.’

The project will include activities for young people to learn about the craft of organ restoration, and a focus on the history of the area.

Visit damosroom.bandcamp.com to stream the collaboration or theorganproject.org for more on the project itself.