Sarah Dennehy on Roger Eno

Sarah Dennehy, music programmer for The Bath Festival, talks about the joys of Roger Eno’s music

For me there’s a name synonymous with ambient music, and that name is Eno. Brian Eno is largely considered to be the genre’s chief innovator. However his brother Roger Eno is also a prolific musician closely linked to this genre.

In November I went to one of my favourite festivals, Le Guess Who in Utrecht, where I was introduced to Roger Eno’s music. I must admit I wasn’t that familiar with his music before LGW Festival. There were so many artists on the line-up that I was dead keen to see over the weekend. Fortunately, (for me) Eno’s agent was at the festival and convinced me to pop along to his show, and boy, am I glad that I did.

Roger played a late night solo piano set that blurred the lines between classical and minimalist ambient music, sharing anecdotes between tracks. His personality shone through at every opportunity. You found yourself instantly warming to this charismatic composer from Suffolk.

I found his set so immersive and meditative, like waves lapping on a shore. I got comfortable in my seat and stayed for the full set (my intention was to leave after 15 minutes so I could watch another act playing at a different venue). When his set finished, it left me wanting more, a rare thing these days. I have spent my career attending festivals and watching live music, so rarely spend more than 20-minutes listening to live music.

I have waxed lyrical about the joy of Roger Eno since, and I’m so pleased that he agreed to be part of The Bath Festival and to treat us to an evening with (for me) the best, lesser known of the Enos.

Book now to see Roger Eno at The Bath Festival here