- For those who wanted to avoid the chaotic crowds of British Summer Time at Hyde Park last weekend, there was Possibly Colliding. The three-day programme of live performances and film screenings was curated by German pianist Nils Frahm, who picked some of the unsung heroes of Europe's electronic music scene.
For the first of seven sessions, people of all ages flocked to the Barbican on Friday, July 1st to see Frahm play his only UK show of 2016. Clutching their programmes and pints, the audience were a tipsy but well-behaved bunch who saved their energy for rapturous applause and standing ovations. Sharing the stage with hordes of instruments, a casually-dressed Frahm opened with fan favourite "Says," one of the night's few solo performances. He was joined throughout by various collaborators, including cellist Anne Müller, his nonkeen partners Frederic Gmeiner and Sepp Singwald, choral group Shards and instrumental ensemble Stargaze, to perform immersive acoustic and electronic works.
As with many of Frahm's concerts, the pieces were mostly improvised, with even well-known hits such as "Toilet Brush" given special renditions. His set with nonkeen, which began with a casual jamming session before the two drummers descended into a furious battle of counter rhythms, was a definite highlight. There was one downer, though. Due to the density of the programme, there was no interval. At first this seemed like a wise decision, but the continual movement of people dashing to the bar or the toilets became an unwelcome distraction.
The fifth session took place on a sleepy, overcast Sunday at LSO St. Lukes in Old Street, where a crowd gathered for an afternoon of audiovisual projects presented by some of Frahm's favourite artists. Composer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith began with a mind-bending performance of ambient techno accompanied by colourful, amorphous visuals. Despite never once looking up at the audience, Smith was captivating to watch as she expertly worked her mixing board. Harp and synth trio Canto Ostinato Audio Visual followed with a hypnotic piece based on Simone Ten Holt's famous work, "Canto Ostinato," which gradually looped the delicate harp motifs into increasingly complicated layers. Szun Waves, comprising Luke Abbott, PVT's Laurence Pike and Portico's Jack Wyllie, concluded with a set of dissonant saxophone improvisations anchored by overwhelming basslines, similar to those on their debut album, At Sacred Walls. Frustratingly, the lack of interval again proved problematic, as the never-ending flow of people disrupted what was meant to be an immersive experience.
Canadian ambient producer Scott Morgan, AKA Loscil, opened the festival's seventh and final event at Milton Court Concert Hall on Sunday evening. He performed a cinematic work featuring two French horns to hypnotic footage of deserts, felled forests and snowy mountain peaks. His stark visual and sonic landscapes were haunting, but too slow-moving to keep the audience engaged after a long weekend of music. Following a scheduled—and highly appreciated—interval, Wildbirds & Peacedrums played a fiery set accompanied by vocal ensemble Shards. Standing under dusky spotlights and dressed in a billowing black kaftan, singer Marian Wallentin commanded the stage with ethereal renditions of "Tiny Holes In My Head" and "Fight For Me" alongside partner and drummer Andreas Werliin. But while the earlier session had a sense of continuity, Loscil's solemn epic felt too dissimilar to Wildbirds & Peacedrums' daring and dynamic song renditions, meaning the concert lacked a sense of cohesion.
That said, Possibly Colliding made its mark. Frahm's eclectic lineup and flawless execution of improvisatory performances exceeded expectations, while offering Londoners welcome respite from the UK's increasingly homogenous festival market.
Photo credit /
Mark Allan / Barbican
Canadian ambient producer Scott Morgan, AKA Loscil, opened the festival's seventh and final event at Milton Court Concert Hall on Sunday evening. He performed a cinematic work featuring two French horns to hypnotic footage of deserts, felled forests and snowy mountain peaks. His stark visual and sonic landscapes were haunting, but too slow-moving to keep the audience engaged after a long weekend of music. Following a scheduled—and highly appreciated—interval, Wildbirds & Peacedrums played a fiery set accompanied by vocal ensemble Shards. Standing under dusky spotlights and dressed in a billowing black kaftan, singer Marian Wallentin commanded the stage with ethereal renditions of "Tiny Holes In My Head" and "Fight For Me" alongside partner and drummer Andreas Werliin. But while the earlier session had a sense of continuity, Loscil's solemn epic felt too dissimilar to Wildbirds & Peacedrums' daring and dynamic song renditions, meaning the concert lacked a sense of cohesion. That said, Possibly Colliding made its mark. Frahm's eclectic lineup and flawless execution of improvisatory performances exceeded expectations, while offering Londoners welcome respite from the UK's increasingly homogenous festival market.
Photo credit / Mark Allan / Barbican