| Very Present Tense | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Christopher Simpson |
| Cover: | Very Present Tense.jpg |
| Recorded: | 2008 |
| Producer: | Tom Havelock |
Very Present Tense is the debut studio album by British actor Christopher Simpson.
In 2008, whilst Simpson was artist-in-residence with creative arts group Metal,[1] he completed the song cycle Very Present Tense. He wrote it over a number of years in response to the death of his mother. The songs which reference musical idioms, including blues, jazz, and Rwandan folk, reflecting his Rwandan and Irish family heritage.[2] The album was developed in collaboration with composer Tom Havelock.[3]
The song cycle premiered at the arts hub in Edge Hill Station pavilion in Liverpool on 8 August 2008,[4] [5] during the Liverpool European Capital of Culture.[6] He performed the work for the second time with Metal at the Village Green Festival on 29 September 2009, this time working with a group of musicians from Southend. Simpson then worked on recording the work.[7]