Press room

JUST ANNOUNCED

Aldous Harding 
Wed 30 & Thu 31 Mar 2022, Barbican Hall, 8pm
Tickets £20 – £25 

New Zealand singer-songwriter Aldous Harding, alongside her band, makes her Barbican debut in March 2022. The two shows will feature material from her three studio albums to date. 

Harding, whose music has been described as ‘disquietingly beautiful and unsettling as her image’ by the Guardian, drew critical acclaim for the gothic indie folk style on her eponymous self-titled 2014 debut album.

Her two follow-up albums – 2017’s Party and 2019's Designer – were released on British independent label 4AD. Both records were co-produced by John Parish (PJ Harvey, Sparklehorse). John Parish also produced Harding’s track Old Peel – known and loved by fans as the set-closer at her most recent live shows – which will be digitally released on 15 June and as a limited 7” on 9 July 2021.

Aldous Harding was awarded a prestigious Silver Scroll Award for The Barrel (the New Zealand equivalent of the Ivor Novellos) and was nominated in the Solo Artist category in 2020’s Q Awards. Designer also made the top 5 in Mojo's 2019 Best Albums of the Year.

Touring extensively pre-pandemic, Harding is renowned for the captivating state of possession she occupies in live performances, winning over audiences across the world.

Produced by the Barbican in association with Bird On The Wire
On sale to Barbican patrons and members on Wed 16 Jun 2021
On general sale on Fri 18 Jun 2021

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FURTHER EVENT DETAILS ANNOUNCED

George the Poet: Live from the Barbican
Thu 1 Jul 2021, Barbican Hall, 8pm
Tickets £20 – 30 & £12.50 (livestream)

George the Poet will bring his innovative brand of musical poetry to Live from the Barbican this summer. He will be joined on stage by twelve musicians from the BBC Concert Orchestra (strings, woodwind and harp) and producer Benbrick. The set piece spoken word compositions featured in the programme will evolve around the history of black music and the African music diaspora, including elements such as Rap, Afrobeat and Dancehall. The original music featured in the evening is based on George’s reflections on black music, and pieces will be supplemented by audio illustrations and excerpts mixed in live by Benbrick. The show will finish with a Q&A section, for which audiences can submit their questions in advance.

George is a London-born spoken word performer of Ugandan heritage who has received critical acclaim both as a recording artist and social commentator and has seen his work broadcast to billions of people worldwide.

His BBC Sounds audio series ‘Have You Heard George’s Podcast?’ won a prestigious Peabody Award and five Gold British Podcast Awards, including the highly-coveted Podcast of the Year. The series conveys a new approach to podcasting in which artistry and advocacy are combined to empower audiences. It experiments with musical storytelling, expertly weaving poetry and conversation with intricate sound design, and a powerful original score by multi-platinum selling producer and composer Benbrick.

Produced by the Barbican
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BBC TWO BROADCAST DATE ANNOUNCED FOR PAUL WELLER’S ‘LIVE FROM THE BARBICAN’ CONCERT

The ‘Live from the Barbican’ concert of 15 May 2021 featuring Paul Weller, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Jules Buckley with special guest artists Celeste, Boy George and James Morrison will be broadcast on BBC Two on Saturday 19 June at 8.30pm.  

SUPPORT ANNNOUNCED

Aoife O’Donovan
+ Donovan Woods 
Wed 2 Feb 2022, Milton Court Concert Hall, 7.30pm (rescheduled from 22 May 2020)
Tickets £20 – 25 plus booking fee
Grammy award-winning Irish-American vocalist and songwriter Aoife O’Donovan makes her Barbican music programme debut in Feb 2022, in an intimate concert at Milton Court Concert Hall, performing solo and with a string quartet featuring fiddle player Jeremy Kittel.

Recognised for her ethereal voice and substantive songwriting, Aoife O’Donovan is also known for her collaborations. Her most recent one being the band project I’m With Her, comprised of O’Donovan and fellow singer-songwriters Sara Watkins and Sarah Jarosz. Their debut album, See You Around, was released in February 2018 to critical acclaim.  

As a solo artist, O’Donovan has released two studio albums – In the Magic Hour (2016) and her debut solo album, 2013's Fossils – and is currently finishing her third full length album due out in late 2021.

O'Donovan spent the preceding decade as co-founder and front woman of the bluegrass string band Crooked Still. She is the featured vocalist on The Goat Rodeo Sessions, the Grammy-winning album by Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile

Throughout her career, Aoife O’Donovan has also collaborated with artists such as Alison Krauss and jazz trumpeter Dave Douglas and spent a decade as a member of the house band on Live From Here, the US radio variety show. 

Support comes from Canadian folk and country singer-songwriter Donovan Woods.

Produced by the Barbican
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COMING UP IN JUNE 2021 

(livestreamed concerts with live audiences in the Barbican Hall)

Live from the Barbican

All upcoming concerts as part of Live from the Barbican in spring/summer 2021 will be streamed live from the Barbican Hall on a pay-per-view basis and with live audiences in the Hall, if permitted by Government guidance. In-person tickets are now on sale.

• 12 Ensemble are joined on stage by Jonny Greenwood and Anna Meredith, performing in their own works (Sat 19 Jun)
• Barbican Associate Ensemble Academy of Ancient Music and Music Director Richard Egarr perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with renowned baroque violinist Rachel Podger (Sun 27 Jun)

The Barbican believes in creating space for people and ideas to connect through its international arts programme, community events and learning activity. To keep its programme accessible to everyone, and to keep investing in the artists it works with, the Barbican needs to raise more than 60% of its income through ticket sales, commercial activities and fundraising every year. Donations can be made here: barbican.org.uk/donate.