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A Winged Victory for the Sullen

+ London Brass, ACME Strings, and choral arrangements performed by Shards

Iconic neo-classical ambient duo A Winged Victory for the Sullen – who last appeared at the Barbican in 2015 – return for two world-exclusive performances. The pair will be joined onstage by London-based vocal group Shards, as well as players from London Brass, who performed at BBC Proms in 2015 with AWVFTS, and contemporary string ensemble ACME whose roster of collaborators have included Max Richter and the late Jóhann Jóhannsson.

The group will be performing their 2021 album Invisible Cities live for the first time alongside tracks from their back-catalogue. 

A Winged Victory for the Sullen is a collaboration between composers Adam Wiltzie and Dustin O’Halloran who met backstage at a concert in 2007, introduced by their mutual friend Francesco Donadello, who went on to become their long-term collaborative sound engineer. With a sound that germinated from the unique combination of Adam’s ambient guitar drone and Dustin’s sparse piano, the duo has released five studio albums together and in 2013, composed the score for a new work by the internationally renowned Royal Ballet choreographer Wayne McGregor, signalling their shift into electronica.

Support comes from Stockholm-based pianist and composer Shida Shahabi on the Friday evening and New York-based cellist and composer Clarice Jensen on Saturday.

Produced by the Barbican

Members and Patrons pre-sale Wed 23 Nov 2022

General on-sale Fri 25 Nov 2022

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Rival Consoles

In May 2023, the Barbican welcomes experimental electronic musician Ryan Lee West, aka Rival Consoles for a performance in the Barbican Hall.

This unique performance will take the form of an immersive audio-visual experience in which Rival Consoles will present 90+ minutes of material from across the last decade of his career and beyond. From deep ambient works to his unique version of techno, and traversing the vast spectrum in between, the show will be a long-form narrative of ideas, many of which will be heard live for the first time.

Over the course of a critically-acclaimed, fifteen-year career, Rival Consoles has become known for creating emotionally resonant, multi-textural compositions, drawing on a wide variety of source themes and inspirations — from the conceptual, to the digital, to the deeply human.

His 2022 album, Now Is, released via Erased Tapes, expanded this distinctive, richly atmospheric sonic aesthetic into new realms. From elevating arrangements to desolate soundscapes conjuring and inspired by the barren landscapes of Iceland.

Praise for Rival Consoles:

“Now Is finds West at the apex of his game” — Electronic Sound 

“Impossible to ignore, and hard to forget” — Pitchfork

“Rival Consoles makes a conscious attempt to push back against everyday bleakness” — CLASH

Produced by the Barbican in association with Baba Yaga’s Hut

Members and Patrons pre-sale Wed 23 Nov 2022

General on-sale Fri 25 Nov 2022

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Download the Now Is press kit