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The Semi~Automatic Bandstand
...is our current touring work. It's both a 'Show' and a have-a-go 'Installation', and features the company's unique collection of surreal instruments and 'Anomalous Acoustic Apparatus'. As the show title suggests, the instruments play tunes together 'automatically' when in Show mode - sometimes as a Dance Band for our Songs and Grooves, and sometimes as an instrumental Ensemble... Following on from the Show, the 'Installation' session turns the Instruments' controls over to the audience, and we are witness to a publicly-curated orchestra of music, noise and elemental entertainment drawing in the curious and the perplexed of all ages.
In the latest development of the work we welcomed back our Interlocutor and Agent 'The Cosmic Milkman', who beguiled the crowds with his whimsical anecdotes and far-fetched stories from the company's extensive repertoire of incident, enquiries and chance encounters.. I think rather than say anything further, it's probably best if you just take a look at the videos and photos. :-)
'Tales from the Musical Universe (as narrated by the Cosmic Milkman himself)'at The National Theatre, London. July 2012
PLAY IT LOUD !
And here are a couple of slide compilations with music and narrative excerpts from the show....
Bandstand Touring 2011
Our first season touring was in 2011, where we witnessed a few grand Improv. sessions emerge from the public mind - when you have a Scots gent in full dress and a young toddler on the microphone you know something just the right side of crazy is taking place...? Sometimes sublime, sometimes chaotic; always entertaining. Take a look....
Season One : Photo Galleries
I know they're very small but please do click on the thumbnail pics on the right and skip around the galleries, hopefully this will give you a reasonable impression of what the thing was like...
Season One : The Video Edit
The music backing on the vid is similar to a well known dancehall favorite from the late 30's... and is one of our performance tracks from the show; 'Machine' - here now with the vocals. Hit it !
Season One : The Soundfiles
These recordings are a couple of tunes from the set of songs performed in the first Bandstand show. Give 'em a listen, let us know what you make of them ? They're meant to be a bit comic, a little bit populist, toe-tapping and cheeky. But not cheesy eh...?
My Sweet MangoA love song for Joe the Jar, now enlisted in our 'Therabrain' device, a mass-manufactured clone of Stalin's brain with which the Chinese flooded the Soviets some years ago. Vocals by Miz Wilkinson & Jon Large | Arranged by Jon Large (Credit Racket) | Produced by Iain Thompson (English Electric)
MachineA paean to... Machines, cos we love em. The dub version on the player below has comments to indicate which of our devices is featured..... Vocals by Miz Wilkinson & Chris Jam (Speakeasy) | Words by Tony Cairns | Arranged by Jon Large (Credit Racket) | Produced by Iain Thompson (English Electric)
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