Press room

José González

Veneer’s 20th Anniversary Show

Twenty years after his debut album, Veneer, Swedish singer-songwriter José González returns to the Barbican (9 & 10 June) to celebrate the album’s 20th anniversary. Over two nights, González will showcase the entirety of this seminal album in an intimate solo performance.

Recorded using basic equipment in a Gothenburg flat and featuring just his hushed voice and acoustic guitar throughout, Veneer reached the Top 10 in the UK and sold over a million copies worldwide. With its lead single, a cover of The Knife’s Heartbeats which featured on a popular Sony Bravia advert in 2005, Veneer received widespread exposure, going platinum in Sweden and the UK. To date, the song has garnered over 409 million plays on Spotify.

Twenty years on, following three subsequent albums and countless appearances around the world, González will mark the milestone anniversary by performing the album in full along with a few other classics, bringing his gripping acoustic technique and beautiful song writing to the Barbican stage.

Tickets on sale to Members and Patrons Wed 18 Jan 2023

General on-sale Fri 20 Jan 2023

Produced by the Barbican

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Yahael Camara Onono

Masterclass & Performance

British percussionist, djembe player and Balimaya Project band leader, Yahael Camara Onono will return to the Milton Court stage in April 2023 for a final performance as Milton Court Artist-in-Residence. Camara Onono will be joined by a host of guests from the London Jazz scene, as well as hosting a masterclass for young musicians, bringing the residency to an exuberant close.

Performing on stage with Camara Onono (29 Apr) will be musicians from Balimaya Project, SEED Ensemble, Kokoroko, Lévitation Orchestra and Pyjæn for an entirely improvised set of folkloric music, blending ancient tradition with contemporary jazz and its improvisational structures. Across a typically high-spirited evening from the London-born Djembe player, a variety of West African percussion styles will be performed by Camara Onono and fellow Balimaya Project member AbouBacar Konate, accompanied by double bassist Rio Kai (SEED Ensemble), keys player Yohan Kebede (Kokoroko), drummer Harry Ling (Lévitation Orchestra) and trumpeter Dylan Jones (Pyjæn). The eclectic and ad-libbed evening will bring together some of the best musicians in London to generate an entirely new sound and show what a powerful combination of improvision, custom and collaboration can create.

Preceding the performance, Camara Onono will host a Masterclass (28 Apr) with members of Balimaya Project to speak on industry, touring, the 2022 Songlines Newcomer Award-winning group’s recording and writing process, plus a Q&A for any young musician wanting to leave the practise room and get on the road.

Yahael Camara Onono commented:

“Bringing the West African music of my culture to Milton Court for this residency has been momentous. Balimaya Project’s performance at the Barbican in 2021 was a milestone event for the band and for me and taking this momentum forward into the residency, sharing my love of music and our culture with young musicians and audiences will, I hope, inspire many. I can’t wait for these final shows.”

Produced by the Barbican
Find out more here (masterclass) and here (performance)

SUPPORT ACTS ANNOUNCED

Aldous Harding

 + H Hawkline 

 Alice Low

New Zealand singer-songwriter Aldous Harding, alongside her band, makes her Barbican debut in April 2023. The two shows will feature material from her four 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 three follow-up albums – 2017’s Party, 2019's Designer and 2022’s Warm Chris – were released on British independent label 4AD. All 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 was released in 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.

Support comes from Welsh singer-songwriters H Hawkline (Fri 28 Apr) and Alice Low (Sat 29 Apr).

Produced by the Barbican in association with Bird On The Wire

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NB. Tickets originally for the 30th March 2022 have been transferred to 28th April 2023, and tickets originally for the 31st March 2022 have been transferred to 29th of April 2023.

From Aldous Harding following the March 2022 postponement:
Dear friends,
We are sorry to announce that we are going to have to reschedule our 2022 European and UK dates to 2023. Despite the current COVID-19 situation easing, we are still facing a degree of uncertainty that will make touring in March / April 2022 difficult for us. All 2022 tickets will remain valid for the rescheduled shows in 2023. If you are unable to attend a rescheduled show then please contact your ticketing agency for refunds.
Till then.