A band on stage: vocals, guitars, faces and bodies moving with every beat, outfits shining under wild lights – this is a concert, right? Or is it a theatre show in disguise? Scottish composer-performer Genevieve Murphy loves blurring those lines. With her band and a set of self-written songs, she zooms in on the quirky rituals of gigs: exaggerating them, twisting them, and showing just how theatrical every concert already is. On three evenings, Murphy is taking the NO stage. She will be playing with her band and playfully taking it apart to explore and reveal what really happens between musicians onstage. Concert or performance?
Murphy’s artistry mixes contemporary classical music with performance and visual art, creating dynamic and glittering soundscapes: “I like to write catchy melodies that hook the listener into the music and at the same time steer them off into a direction that leaves the listener hanging in mid air. Music can build tension in such an incredible way, creating the sensation that something is about to happen next to feeling like we might never get there.“ Expect saxophone, drums, piano, bagpipes, and plenty of surprises.
Deriving her her work from personal experiences, Murphy frequently explores themes of psychology and disability. At the same time, she is interested in the use of comedy in music and performance. Now based in Amsterdam, she was trained in composition in Glasgow, Birmingham, and The Hague. During her career, she worked with a variety of collaborators like Turner Prize–winner Martin Creed or neuropsychologist Erik Scherder.
In English
WITH Genevieve Murphy (vocals, keyboards), John Dikeman (sax), Marta Warelis (keyboards), Henning Luther (drums)
LIGHT DESIGN David Egger PRODUCTION Isobel Dryburgh
