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So I've got a set list idea.
There's material in English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic,
Bengali, Hindi.... Take Tina Grace - She sings in the first four of
those languages and speaks them all too, amongst others - She used to be a contortionist/ acrobat/ fire-eating tightrope walker with a Brazilian circus... insane. Natacha Atlas, Reena Bhardwaj, Ashwin Srinivasin, Luci and Sharlene deliver the remaining vernacular pyrotechnics between them whilst I normally watch in mute admiration, banging away on my keyboards, guitar or something.I'm so excited by this band. To put on a cohesive and flowing show
with such an eclectic bunch of musicians is sometimes a challenge but always a revelation. I get a real kick out of finding connections and common ideas through live performance. Something fresh always comes out of the cultural collisions that keep music dynamic. That's why I find this international bunch of musicians such a London band. London is, if nothing else, a collision of cultures. I get so bored by the monotony and repetition of lazy, parochial dogma and musical pretentiousness. I want to hear something that reflects the sounds in my head - The sounds I hear in Camden, Brixton or Brick Lane. Street sounds.London sounds.
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Set List. Electric Proms. What to play? Tricky.
The last few weeks - a whirlwind of assorted performance madness from Chicago orchestras and dubstep/drum'n'bass spinning at the Big Chill to a 30,000 strong Portuguese audience singing along to our band performance of "Nadia" in Hindi! With every gig it's always the first question in your mind: "What to play?" How do you keep an audience watching, moving or singing whilst delivering something that reflects where your head's at.
The Electric Proms set list is going to have to incorporate all the above in some way or the other. We have a special orchestra on board, unbelievable singers and a rhythm section to die for. Ultimately though, none of it matters unless that elusive set list has a flow that draws everyone further in with each successive note. Recordings are controlled sound bites of reflection. Live performance is about feeling the moment.
What to play? No pressure...
I have an idea kicking round but I'm still open. We have a new album out in October called London Undersound but I've made 7 albums before that. Still deciding. Too many tracks. Not enough time.
Any ideas?
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