Elizabeth Cook reports on Aldershot rock worship band NAMELESSMUSIC.

NAME THAT BAND: Namelessmusic

Any worship ministry which calls itself Namelessmusic is clearly not vying for high profile publicity. Yet this Aldershot-based worship four piece, consisting of bass guitarist Si Akehurst, drummer Ben Dodgson, guitarist Steve Mann and frontman singer/songwriter Tim Sherrington, has been quietly but consistently building up a following for its particular brand of hooky pop rock worship. The band aren't new to UK retail though their Kingsway release 'Undone' was confusingly packaged (no Namelessmusic on the front sleeve) while their second release 'For Your Glory' was issued independently. Now with ICC Records behind the group and the excellent 'Truth' in the CD racks, things are looking bright for the band. Namelessmusic was inspired by a prophetic word Chris Bowater brought to the King's Centre, Aldershot in March 1995. Hearing that word was Tim Sherrington, an experienced rock musician who'd previously worked with the mainstream band the River Thieves and Christian rock group the Electric Revival.

Tim picks up the story, "'Undone' was the catalyst for a number of things, but mainly three years of serving a variety of churches and organisations. Between 2001 and 2003 we clocked up over 140 gigs across a huge amount of denominations throughout the UK and into Europe, whilst working full time. In the middle of that 'season', we released 'For Your Glory', an independent worship album. It had more of a prophetic edge to it than the mostly arranged sounds of 'Undone'. That only helped to convince us that we were exactly where God wanted us to be - making music for his glory and being a faceless and nameless group of people."

But Si insists their name is not a pitch for obscurity, "We want people to know about the band and our music and what we are seeking to achieve. However, we don't want the limelight. It's not about fame and recognition, in terms of who is in the band or how nice we look." However, the most recent album 'Truth', which was recorded over a period of six months in numerous unconventional studios, does at least name the band members. Recorded Cut in Tim's home, The Soup Kitchen (the band's studio), a garden shed, churches, lounges and, seemingly, everywhere else they found themselves, the project has, according to Ben, brought the group closer together. He says, "There is more accountability and unity than ever before. We all love being in Namelessmusic and when we pick up our instruments to worship, it is always apparent that God has brought us together to serve a purpose."

And that vision to "serve the Church through worship" whilst being a "nameless and faceless generation" is apparent in their future plans. Steve comments, "God recently gave us a picture for our future: We were in a room at a large table and piled up on the table were loads of red boxes. God spoke to us about each box representing an opportunity - a 'gig' or 'event' if you like. Some were already full and ready to be revealed and others were empty and ready to be filled with our hopes and dreams. We are currently opening some of the boxes and finding out what is inside. The ones that really excite us are the empty boxes; as we fill them, so our future unfolds."