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Barbican announces Mew and Danish Chamber Orchestra one-off UK performance, Shibuya-kei pioneer Cornelius, and support act for This is The Kit

Mew and Danish Chamber Orchestra

Danish alternative rock band Mew join forces with the Danish Chamber Orchestra (Danmarks Underholdningsorkester) to perform a journey through their back-catalogue in a special one-off UK performance at the Barbican in London.

For more than 25 years, Mew has distinguished itself as one of the most innovative and remarkable bands both domestically and internationally and have won multiple ICMA (International Classic Music Awards) including the coveted "Recording of the Year". As a live act, the trio of singer Jonas Bjerre, drummer Silas Graae, and bassist Johan Wohlert have time and again broken free from familiar frameworks and created new spaces, resulting in grand musical moments. Following a sold-out 2018 performance at the Barbican to celebrate the 15th anniversary of their breakthrough album Frengers, Mew now announces their return in the album’s 20th year. Joined by the Danish Chamber Orchestra’s conductor and director Andreas Vetö, they will together breathe new life into the band’s impressive and wide-ranging list of songs. Following a resoundingly successful national tour in Denmark in 2022 with the orchestra, Mew now brings the performance to audiences at London’s Barbican, Helsinki’s Musiikkiatalo, the Oslo Konserthus, plus three additional performances in Denmark.

Andreas Vetö, director of the Danish Chamber Orchestra and the conductor at the concerts, says: “Mew’s music is born with a symphonic sound that is extremely well-suited for the concert halls we will be visiting along the way. When performed with our orchestra, the music soars even higher into the dreamy symphonic layers”.

Johan Wohlert, Mew bassist, says: “From our tour last year, we know that this is a combination that arouses great enthusiasm–both among us on stage and not least among the audience. We are looking forward tremendously to hitting the road again with the Danish Chamber Orchestra, especially because this time we also get to visit some of Northern Europe’s most beautiful concert halls”.

This symphonic collaboration between Mew and the Danish Chamber Orchestra (Denmark’s only major self-governing musician-owned orchestra) is an opportunity for audiences to witness the new concert formats developed by the orchestra in collaboration with artists – concerts that neither party could have created alone. The project is not only a celebration of Mew’s musical career but also an opportunity to sweep audiences away in the interplay between an orchestra and iconic orchestral band as they merge into one magical whole.

Produced by the Barbican

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Cornelius

Next year, experimental pop auteur Cornelius makes his Barbican Hall debut, as he showcases his latest album Dream In Dream.

Known for pushing musical boundaries, Cornelius has made an indelible mark on the music industry. His journey began with breakthrough album Fantasma in 1997, a mesmerising fusion of motoric rhythms, French pop melodies, Beach Boys harmonies and glitched electronics. With a dramatic shift in tones, forms, and spaces with Point (2001) and live music contributions to iconic groups like Yellow Magic Orchestra and Yoko Ono’s Plastic Ono band, Cornelius’ unique blend of art-pop has earned him worldwide recognition from a legion of dedicated fans.

Now, with his seventh full album Dream in Dream (2023), Cornelius continues to push the boundaries of musical innovation. This latest work seamlessly combines intimate moods with layers of electronic and acoustic sounds.

This debut Barbican performance will take audiences on a journey blurring the boundaries between reality and dreams, enveloping listeners in a hazy, expansive atmosphere of sound, visuals, and lighting working in complete synchronization.

Produced by the Barbican

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SUPPORT ACTS ANNOUCED

This is The Kit

+ Gina Birch

This is The Kit, pseudonym of Ivor Novello-nominated singer-songwriter Kate Stables and her band, return to the Barbican following their Live From The Barbican concert in a locked-down January 2021.

With music of trademark cataclysmic honesty and warm tonal embraces, This is The Kit welcome audiences to gather together in the Barbican Hall for an evening of companionship and joyful survival.

Kate Stables has toured with The National, and has earned the adoration of peers, including Guy Garvey and Anaïs Mitchell. Here she will be joined by band mates Rozi Plain (bass/vocals), Neil Smith (guitar), and Jamie Whitby-Coles (drum/vox).

Support on the night comes from punk icon Gina Birch of The Raincoats.

Produced by the Barbican

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