Press Release

THE ROUNDHOUSE ANNOUNCES A MAJOR NEW MULTIARTS FESTIVAL ‘ROUNDHOUSE SUMMER SESSIONS’

‘SUMMER SESSIONS’ HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE THE WORLD PREMIERE LIVE-SCORING
OF ‘THERE WILL BE BLOOD’PERFORMED BY LONDON CONTEMPORARY
ORCHESTRA FEATURING RADIOHEAD’S JONNY GREENWOOD, NEW WORK FROM
BALLETBOYZ AND EXCLUSIVE UK HEADLINE PERFORMANCES FROM SINÉAD
O’CONNOR AND CHILLY GONZALEZ

A MAJOR HIGHLIGHT WILL BE IMOGEN HEAP’S‘REVERB’ – CURATED BY THE
GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING SINGER-SONGWRITER, IT WILL FEATURE AN
EXCLUSIVE FIRST PERFORMANCE OF HER NEW ALBUM ‘SPARKS’

LONDONERS ARE SET TO EXPERIENCE THE BEST LIVE ENTERTAINMENT INSIDE AT
SUMMER SESSIONS WHILST ENJOYING SUMMER EVENINGS OUTSIDE AT THE
ROUNDHOUSE’S OWN SEASIDE RESORT – CAMDEN BEACH
The Roundhouse has announced a major new multi-arts festival for summer 2014;
Roundhouse Summer Sessions will take place this July and August. An exciting new
fixture in London’s summer arts calendar, Summer Sessions will present live music, dance,
comedy, cabaret, spoken word and live-scored cinema in an intimate, table-seated
setting. The incredible, eclectic line-up includes the world premiere live scoring of There
Will Be Blood performed by London Contemporary Orchestra featuring Jonny
Greenwood who wrote the score, exclusive UK headline performances from Sinéad
O’Connor, Chilly Gonzalez and Ólafur Arnalds, a preview of new work from BalletBoyz,
performances from rising star Andreya Triana, Penguin Café, Kid Koala’s multidisciplinary adaptation of his graphic novel Nufonia Must Fall, Funk Da Cirque, Boom +
Bang Cabaret, the Roundhouse Poetry Slam Grand Final and The Nest Collective host
London’s biggest Ceilidh.
A major highlight of Summer Sessions will be the return of the Reverb Festival, this year
curated by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Imogen Heap. Reverb aims to bring
cutting-edge contemporary music to a whole new audience by redefining the rules and
shattering boundaries. Featuring an exclusive first performance of Imogen’s long-awaited
fourth album, Sparks, the weekend will include live performances from Tim Exile,
Leafcutter John, London Contemporary Orchestra, Nick Ryan and The Norwegian Girls’
Choir. The festival will also involve performances, contributions and close collaboration
with participants from the Roundhouse’s creative programme for 11-25 year-olds including
the broadcast trainees, who will be involved in live streaming content.
Over the summer, the Roundhouse will become a daily destination where festival-goers
can enjoy the sunshine at North London’s very own ‘seaside’ resort, Camden Beach,
which also returns for the third year running. On the terrace, Camden’s biggest outdoor
space, there will be 150 tonnes of the finest sand, deckchairs, beach huts, ping-pong, live
music and some of the best food pop-ups in the city.
The Roundhouse will become the essential venue for summer revelry and the very best in
live music and performance. Booking for Roundhouse Summer Sessions opens Tuesday 29
April at roundhouse.org.uk. Full listings are below.
#RHsummersessions #reverb2014
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NOTES TO EDITORS
For further information please contact Laura Myers at The Corner Shop PR 020 7831
7657 or email laura@thecornershoppr.com or Ben Chamberlain at The Corner Shop PR
on 020 7831 7657 or email ben@thecornershoppr.com
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Summer Sessions
Dates: 24 July – 24 August 2014 (Camden Beach: 26 July – 23 Aug)
Where: Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road,London, NW1 8EH
Box office: 0844 482 8008
Website: roundhouse.org.uk
Age restrictions: (unless otherwise stated) Under 16s to be accompanied by an adult,
under 14s to be accompanied and in seated areas only
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@roundhouseldn
WORLD PARTY
When 24 July – 7pm
Tickets £15-£35
Formed in 1986, as Karl Wallinger’s solo project, (previously of cult heroes The
Waterboys), World Party has amassed a collection of hit singles over its history, including
Ship of Fools, Put the Message in the Box, Is It Like Today?, Way Down Now, and She's The
One while contributing to movie soundtracks. The acoustic World Party features John
Turnbull (The Blockheads) on electric guitar with David Duffy on fiddle and mandolin,
combining with Karl's guitar and keyboards and three part harmonies to create a World
Party that has stood the test of time.
ROUNDHOUSE RISING - ANDREYA TRIANA
When 25 July -7pm
Tickets £5 (ages 16-25) /£10-£12
Showcasing the best & brightest emerging talent, Roundhouse Rising presents London born
singer-songwriter Andreya Triana. Signed to Ninja Tune, Andreya has collaborated with a
string of highly acclaimed artists and producers including Flying Lotus, Mr Scruff, Fink and
Bonobo, who produced her 2010 debut album Lost Where I Belong.
UK Exclusive
Roundhouse and Eat Your Own Ears present
CHILLY GONZALEZ – THE MASTERCLASSES – PRESENTED IN PIANOVISION
When 29 July – 7pm
Tickets £20 - £30
Chilly Gonzales is set to bring some of the joy back to the amateur pianist with lectures,
demonstrations and select on stage one-on-one lessons inspired by his newly published
book Re-Introduction Etudes: 24 easy-to-master, fun-to-play piano pieces specifically
designed to unlock musical mysteries for those who gave it up. In an intimate setting,
Chilly will talk about melody, harmony, scales, moving motifs, semitones, major and
minor. Audience members can also win the chance to be one of Gonzo’s students on the
night itself (see roundhouse.org.uk for details).
BALLETBOYZ PRESENTS THETALENT IN SERPENT/FALLEN
When 31 July& 1 August – 8pm start
Tickets £15 - £35
Following phenomenal international success, BalletBoyz present their award-winning show
Serpent/ Fallen for the final time in London, together with a chance to see an excerpt
from their much anticipated new full length work Young Men choreographed by Iván
Pérez, with live music by singer-songwriter Keaton Henson. Based on the theme of war
and the men that train and fight together, Young Men is a co-production with 14-18 Now
and Sadler’s Wells, where it will premiere in January 2015. Serpent by Liam Scarlett
(Royal Ballet Artist in Residence) is set to the haunting music of Max Richter’s
Memoryhouse, with lighting by Michael Hulls. Fallen by Russell Maliphant is set to a
powerful score by French film composer Amand Amar with lighting also by long-time
Maliphant collaborator Michael Hulls. Fallen won the award for Best Modern Choreography
at the 2013 National Dance Awards.
World Premiere
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – SCREENING WITH LIVE SCORE
PERFORMED BY LONDON CONTEMPORARY ORCHESTRA AND JONNY GREENWOOD
When 6 & 7 August – 8pm - age 15+
Tickets£10 - £70
By arrangement with Miramax and Park Circus Films, Roundhouse will be home to the
world premiere screenings of Paul Thomas Anderson’s Academy Award-winning There Will
Be Blood with Jonny Greenwood’s score performed live by the London Contemporary
Orchestra, conducted by Hugh Brunt. These live screenings will draw together an
orchestra of over 50 musicians, including Jonny Greenwood himself, who will play the
OndesMartenot part. His work as a film composer includes Bodysong, There Will Be Blood,
We Need To Talk About Kevin, Norwegian Wood and The Master. The London
Contemporary Orchestra have been performing Greenwood's orchestral works since 2008,
and in 2012 recorded his score for The Master. LCO’s previous performances at the
Roundhouse have included live screenings of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and Greenwood’s
Doghouse at Reverb.
FUNK DA CIRQUE– SOUL TRIP
When 9 August – 7pm
Tickets £10
Funk Da Cirque return to the Roundhouse with Soul Trip, a show that combines street
dance styles including boogaloo, house, waakin’ and b-boying – mixed with theatre,
acrobatics, human pyramids and body percussion. Following sold out debut shows at
Roundhouse CircusFest 2012 and hot on the heels of appearances at the National Theatre’s
Watch This Space and Camp Bestival, Funk Da Cirque includes some of the best young
street dancers and acrobats from across London, all aged 11-25.
PENGUIN CAFÉ+ Sam Semple
When10 August - 7pm
Tickets£20-£30
Penguin Café’s sound is at once familiar and new, combining acoustic power and a
beguiling, feisty charm. Their music has infiltrated daily life from films like Napoleon
Dynamite to countless theme tunes; they've played festivals and venues ranging from
Bestival and The Big Chill to a sold out Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms.
Following a sell-out UK tour this Spring, they released their new album The Red Book in
February 2014.
UK Headline Show Exclusive
SINÉAD O’CONNOR
When 12 August – 7pm
Tickets£15 - £32.50
Dublin born international star Sinéad O’Connor, brings her new album The Vishnu Room to
the Roundhouse Summer Sessions. The singer/songwriter reached world-wide success in
the 90s with her emotionally charged, iconic single Nothing Compares 2 U, reaching
number one in several countries. After receiving numerous award nominations following
her chart success, she went on to win the Grammy for Best Alternative Music
Performance but chose to boycott the award show. Sinéad has since gone on to work with
esteemed musicians Wyclef Jean of the Fugees and Dave Stewart of Eurythmics. Twentyfour years and nine albums since her initial chart success, Sinéad O’Connor is set to make
international waves all over again in 2014 with her world-wide tour and the release of her
tenth album.
POETRY SLAM GRAND FINAL 2014
When 14 August – 7.30pm – suitable for all ages
Tickets £7.50
Check out some of the best up-and-coming talent in spoken word as they compete for the
coveted title of Roundhouse Slam Champion 2014. The Poetry Slam is one of the major
highlights of the Roundhouse calendar, with this year’s set to be the biggest final yet! The
slam will feature performances by acclaimed poets Hollie McNish, Dan Cockrill, Bohdan
Piasecki, Inua Ellams and Deborah Stevenson.
UK Exclusive
ÓLAFUR ARNALDS
When 15 August – 7pm
Tickets £15-£35
Icelandic multi-instrumentalist and composer Ólafur Arnalds will play the Roundhouse in
support of his 2013 album For Now I Am Winter. His life-cycle concept album Eulogy for
Evolution was released in 2007, followed by his second full album …And They Have
Escaped the Weight of Darkness in 2010. He has composed scores for the films Another
Happy Day and Gimme Shelter, as well as acclaimed ITV series Broadchurch. His song
Alltvarðhljótt was used in the score and the soundtrack to the film The Hunger Games.
BOOM + BANG CABARET
When 15 August - 10.30pm - over 18s only
Tickets £15 - £20
Boom + Bang Cabaret is a cabaret circus extravaganza hosted by the incomparable Jonny
Woo (Gay Bingo) and featuring a plethora of the most talented circus performers from
around the world including evil clowns, fire breathing panthers, a drag ringmaster, a
Russian prima ballerina, death-defying aerial feats and more. The Boom + Bang Circus is
the new creative collaboration between producer Bioux Lee Hayes (formerly of Boom
Boom Club and La Reve) and the award winning, international burlesque and circus
performer Kitty Bang Bang.
THE NEST COLLECTIVE – REACH FOR THE BUNTING
When 16 August – 8pm-2am – over 18’s only
Tickets£12
The Nest Collective host regular events across London under the banner New Folk Old Folk
No Folk, inspired by British and world-wide artists alike. Reach for the Bunting will see
the Ceilidh Liberation Front - London’s newest and most radical ceilidh band - host the
biggest Ceilidh ever for a night full of dancing with performances from Latin inspired
Family Atlantica and the all-out madness of The Gentle Mystics.
UK Exclusive
KID KOALA’S NUFONIA MUST FALL LIVE
Directed by K.K. Barrett
Featuring Kid Koala and the Afiara Quartet
When 18 August – 7pm
Tickets £15-£35
She's a lonely office girl. He's an out-of-work robot struggling to find his voice amidst the
noise of the city. Little do they know that destiny has programmed them for the greatest
love story of our time. Nufonia Must Fall LIVE: Equal parts cinema, theatre, and musical
concert. Watch an amazing team of puppeteers bring the characters of Kid Koala’s graphic
novel Nufonia Must Fall to life in miniature sets built to recreate each scene from the
book. Under the direction of renowned production designer KK Barrett (Her, Where the
Wild Things Are, Adaptation, Being John Malkovich), the performance is cinematically lit,
filmed, and projected on a large screen. Kid Koala, accompanied by the Afiara String
Quartet, performs his original score on piano and turntable. All of these components come
together in real time thanks to a team of twelve talented performers and technicians.
IMOGEN HEAP’S ‘REVERB’
When 21 August – 24 August
Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Imogen Heap curates this year’s Reverb Festival.
BLACKBOX EXPLORATIONS
When Thursday 21 August – 6pm
Tickets £25-£35
Reverb begins with an evening of immersive live visuals accompanied by cuttingedge, contemporary artists including Berlin-based composer Simon SteenAndersen’s innovative BlackBox performed by Denmark’s premier new music
ensemble the Århus Sinfonietta. It will feature a Q&A session with Imogen Heap
and a number of artists performing throughout the weekend, giving audiences
an opportunity to get inside the minds of some of the most creative and thoughtprovoking musicians. The evening will close with a performance by the cuttingedge improviser’s orchestra The London Soundpainting Orchestra.
THE GLOVES (WORKSHOP)
When Friday 22 & Saturday 23 August – 2pm-4pm – suitable for all ages
Tickets Free
A rare and unique opportunity to experience Imogen Heap's mi.mu glove system.
Book your 30 minute slot to experience playing music in 3-D, wirelessly using
gestures and movement with your hands. Dip into the sounds and rhythms of
Imogen's first glove song Me The Machine, taken from her forthcoming new album
Sparks. The Gloves are a cutting edge experimental gestural music ware being
developed for the purpose of Imogen's studio and stage work.
G0:PLAY – GENERATIVE TECHNOLOGY IN PERFORMANCE (TALK)
When Friday 22 August – 4pm – suitable for all ages
Tickets Free
Cellist and composer Peter Gregson will discuss his work in generative technology
and performance. Peter Gregson has collaborated with many of the world’s leading
technologists, including Microsoft Labs, United Visual Artists, Rectify and MIT Media
Lab.
ONE-MAN BAND
When Friday 22 August – 6pm
Tickets £25
Reverb will present an extraordinary One-Man Band event on Friday night,
featuring six diverse pioneers of new instrumental and electronic music. The
Roundhouse Main Space will be transformed to contain six performance podiums,
each with a virtuoso composer/performer in their own space including Imogen
Heap (piano/vocal improvisation), cello/electronics from Peter Gregson,
violin/electronics from Pekka Kuusisto, trumpet/electronics from Arve Henriksen
and vocal/electronics from Maja Ratjke. Finishing the night will be the unmissable
Tim Exile. This is a unique opportunity to see musicians at the forefront of
electronic and instrumental exploration.
MUSICIANS AND MACHINES (TALK)
When Friday 22 August – 5pm - suitable for all ages
Tickets Free
Computer scientist, musician and researcher Adam Stark will discuss how new
ideas in engineering and computer science research labs are making their way into
the work of performing artists and musicians. During the session, Adam will present
several interdisciplinary projects including using sound analysis in collaborations
with visual arts in classical music concerts, and making music from bridge
vibrations on Di Mainstone’s Human Harp project, which will be installed in the
foyer of the Roundhouse.
ARDUINO KEYBOARD (WORKSHOP WITH GAWAIN HEWITT)
When Friday 22 August – 5.30pm - suitable for all ages
Tickets £10
Using an open source computer interface and free open source software you will
create a physical interface that triggers sound using touch. Participants will learn
the principals of physical computing and sound design and will be able to take the
finished project home with them, to integrate with existing musical technology and
hopefully inspire further creation and exploration of the space where computing,
code and music making combine.
SYNAESTHESIA – THE COMPOSITIONAL PROCESS (TALK)
When Saturday 23 August – 5pm–suitable for all ages
Tickets Free
The Roundhouse Studio Theatre will host a Q&A with multi-award winning
composer Nick Ryan, who will discuss the compositional process of his Synaesthesia
project, which will be performed in the Main Space later that evening.
SONIC MASK FAMILY WORKSHOP
When Saturday 23 August – 5.30pm - suitable for all ages
Tickets £10
Using the same technology as Imogen Heap’s ‘Gloves’, the Roundhouse Circle Bar
will hold a demonstration of the Sonic Mask, a technology project that allows the
creation of computer generated music through movements of the human face.
Using Ardiuno, free software in a 21st century version of a traditional family craft
activity, you will create wearable masks that connect with a computer using USB,
allowing sounds and images to be triggered by touching parts of the mask.
Colourful, interactive and fun, this workshop will give a musical and physical
context to technological learning, inspiring the use of code in craft and laying
foundations that can be used in performance, coding, making and sonic art.
SYNAESTHESIA
When Saturday 23 August – 6pm
Tickets £22.50 - £35
The London Contemporary Orchestra will take to the Roundhouse Main Space to
perform an incredible programme of work including pieces by Howard Skempton,
Delia Derbyshire, Edmund Finnis, and Kaija Saariaho as part of Synaesthesia. In
collaboration with ground-breaking visual artists Quayola & Sinigaglia, audiences
will experience a new commission by multi award-winning composer, sound
designer, artist and audio specialist Nick Ryan. This performance will give
audiences the opportunity to experience the sound of the orchestra being
transformed live into a dramatic visual score through computational software
developed for the piece. Leon Michener will open the evening with Klavikon,
which reimagines electronic music without the use of conventional processes using
an amplified piano. There will also be a special guest performance from the
Norwegian Girls’ Choir who will perform the UK premier of Ro-Uro. Written by
composer Maja Ratjke, the piece focuses on war, peace, order and chaos through a
collage of historic material and traditional Norwegian folk music and lullabies.
Finally, the evening will close with a new exclusive reworking of Natures –
originally commissioned by Aldeburgh Music’s Faster than Sound - by Mira Calix,
Oliver Coates and Quayola.
Full LCO programme:
Delia Derbyshire The Delian Mode
Howard Skempton Lento
Nick Ryan Synaes (world premiere, Roundhouse commission)
Edmund Finnis Between Rain (world premiere, LCO commission)
Kaija Saariaho Verblendungen
Hugh Brunt (conductor)
NONCLASSICAL TAKEOVER
When Sunday 24 August – from 2pm
Tickets Free
On a mission to redefine the classical experience and take a new wave of exciting
composers out of the concert hall to new audiences, the seminal Nonclassical was
founded by composer, DJ & producer Gabriel Prokofiev. Currently in its 10th year
of championing bold new music in adventurous ways, Nonclassical DJs will be
spinning the most stimulating new sounds in experimental, electronica, and
contemporary classical music with remixes from the Nonclassical label and live
remixed works by Stockhausen and Reich. Dynamic flautist Holly Melia (from the
Tempest Flute Trio) will perform iconic contemporary works that redefine the
rhythmic and aural contours of the flute.
POWERPLANT PLAYS WILL GREGORY
When Sunday 24 August – 5pm & 6pm - suitable for all ages
Tickets Free
Led by Joby Burgess, percussionist, sound and video trio Powerplant will take to
the stage with the first London performance of a new commission by Goldfrapp’s
Will Gregory. Minimalism and electronic will collide through these performances
which are part of Nonclassical’s curated club event.
IMOGEN HEAP PERFORMS ‘SPARKS’
When Sunday 24 August – 7pm
Tickets £30-£35
Reverb culminates with the very first performance of Grammy and Ivor Novello
award-winning Imogen Heap’s fourth album Sparks. Imogen will perform with her
‘Gloves’ – a wireless gesture system for creating music with computers. Audience
members can try out the gloves for themselves across the weekend of 22-24
August. Imogen’s performances during Reverb will be her only UK performances in
2014.