The Barbican is the first of three very special These New Puritans shows through to the end of the year, and the only one in the UK. A special performance of their recent, breathtaking album Hidden (2010) – an extraordinary record that takes influence from the brutal hip-hop of the Wu Tang Clan, the melancholy of Benjamin Britten, the crashing rhythms of Jamaican dancehall, and the multi-layered textures of Steve Reich – which sees the band working with the Britten Sinfonia to realize the record’s cinematic textures and ambitious arrangements.
The orchestra will be conducted by André de Ridder (Gorillaz, Monkey), and support comes from Darkstar – the production duo of James Young and Aiden Whalley and vocalist James Buttery, recently tipped by the Guardian as a contender for next year’s Mercury prize.
Listen to TNP’s Jack Barnett on the Barbican Contemporary Music podcast and find out more about the concert at www.barbican.org.uk/
