Matthew and the Atlas is the project of Hampshire-based songwriter Matt Hegarty — one of the first artists signed to Communion Records. Over fifteen years and seven albums, he has traversed a range of musical territories from classic acoustic folk to synth-laden electronica and guitar-led alt-rock, touring extensively across the UK, Europe and the US with the likes of Mumford & Sons, Bear's Den and The Civil Wars, and earning the tag "British Bon Iver" from Q Magazine along the way.
Temple was recorded in Nashville in 2015 with production duo Foreign Fields and released in April 2016, producing fan favourite Elijah. Later that year, Hegarty headed back into the studio with the rest of the band and producer Ian Grimble to rework the songs using the instruments they had — acoustic guitar, harp, clarinet, banjo, piano and double bass. Temple Unplugged came out quietly in December 2016 and found an audience Hegarty hadn't expected — over the years it has become the record fans mention most at shows.
This autumn, Hegarty heads out as a three-piece alongside longtime collaborators Emma Gatrill and Alex Roberts to celebrate the tenth anniversary of both records — a rare chance to hear Temple Unplugged performed from start to finish, in the intimate spirit in which it was originally made, alongside favourites from across the MATA catalogue.
