Hastings born performer honours local fishing heritage with musical postcard.

But in an innovative new twist on traditional music distribution, Ploughing The Salt Sea will be released exclusively as a Limited Edition musical seaside postcard. In collaboration with local postcard makers Judges of Hastings, the album will be delivered as a set of specially designed postcards featuring vintage images from Hastings Old Town. One of these postcards includes a unique code to access the album digitally.

It is a follow-up to Bev’s sell-out one-woman show Ploughing The Salt Sea, in which she explored her long-standing connections to the Hastings fishing industry.

Bev has been working in partnership with Judges Postcards and local graphic designer Mae Dewsbery to create a special Limited Edition set of Hastings based 'Seaside Postcards' available to purchase on the night. One of these is a 'musical postcard' which will have a QR code on the back to download the album.

The album is co-produced by Bev Lee Harling and Frank Moon, featuring evocative field recordings from Rock-a-Nore beach and voices gathered through interviews in Hastings Old Town. Listeners will hear of a murderous pub landlady, a great uncle lost at sea, a roguish grandfather, and the quiet tragedy of her mother’s decline—real and imagined memories that give life to an album steeped in vulnerability and strength.

Bev said: “It’s a physical keepsake and a musical offering—a nod to the past and a step into the future.

"There is nothing nicer than receiving a postcard by surprise in the post, or sending one to those we love, but sometimes in this fast paced environment we live in, it feels like a lot of effort when we can just send a text message. I'll be setting up an area at the show where you can write a postcard, get a stamp and send it whilst enjoying a drink"

The album and postcards are supported by Help Musicians and Judges Postcards.

Ploughing the Salt Sea will be available to buy from June 20, with a link to purchase on Bev Lee Harling’s website. There will be a launch taking place at The Stables Theatre in Hastings Old Town on the same date called Behind the Washing Line. You can book tickets here

The launch will reveal the stories behind the show and have unseen interview footage and songs featuring special guest musicians.

Performance pictures by Peter Mould.

Have you read? Hastings performer digs into her ancestral local background for one-woman show.