Erin Arts Centre’s creative administrator Louisa Thomas is taking inspiration from the venue’s past as a church to launch a gothic singing club.

Southern Gothic Choral Club will meet for the first time on Sunday (May 14), 1pm to 4pm, and sessions will be held monthly.

For the first session, singers will be singing Howl by Florence & The Machine and In For The Kill by La Roux.

Musical director Louisa told Island Life: ‘I’ve run a few choirs on the island before but I’ve kept them pretty mainstream, covering pop/rock songs from the previous five years or so with a guitar accompaniment to keep it fresh. I’ve always wanted to start a gothic choir, and now feels like a great time since I’m working at the EAC with their theatre built into an old church.’

Sessions are open to all, no matter their range, experience and style.

‘I love the idea of singing just for the experience of making noise, so these sessions are one-off events to learn a song without worrying about polishing it for an audience,’ she said.

‘It’s the first time I’ve heard these arrangements out loud so it’s a great chance to get feedback from more experienced singers while we work up to a spin-off group who can perform later in the year.

Louisa has created several arrangements, building up to a ‘ghost’ soloist with Spectrum by Florence & The Machine, trance-inducing Latin chanting with Bellyache by Billie Eilish and grotesque romance with The Red Means I Love You by Madds Buckley.

Once established, Louisa hopes to bring in a band for some rowdier pieces like Something From Nothing by Foo Fighters.

It’s open to over 18s. Book your place (£5) at www.erinartscentre.com

For more details email [email protected] or find more information on Facebook under Southern Gothic Choral Club.