Just back from the dress rehearsal, tired and happy.
Not a lot of audience (hopefully everyones holding themselves back for tomorrow), but a really enjoyable and useful day.
From my point of view as a performer, the rehearsal was really useful – from the point of view of better integrating the lighting and other issues, we could really do with a least one more full rehearsal – a full tech perhaps – but really, most things went amazingly smoothly.
The market place scene has great potential – it perhaps suffered more than most from the small numbers, but with the Kindle girls going crazy, the amazing phyiscal theatre performers – Fran and that clown! – not to mention the poetry, the music and the thrilling capoeira, it has bags of potential and you could visibly see the audience loosening up and gelling as it progressed.
Reg Hunter was on particularly deep and emotional form and promises to push the envelope still further tomorrow after the experience of tonight. The Einstellung acoustic set was terrific, the build up in Konstant being the first time my hairs stood on end.
The Qawwali/Nasheed style band Aashiq al Rasul show that amidst all the amazing technology on display at a Project X event, it only takes four blokes sat on the floor singing with two of them banging drums, to really blow the place away.
The aural fight between Andrew Parker and Mort the Sonic was truly amazing – I was in some sort of trance somewhere approaching REM sleep for much of it – I swear I had pretty much stopped breathing for quite a while. It was like every rock band in the world was playing and every choir in the world was singing all at the same time and it all fitted together perfectly.
Dexter were great fun – their performance none the worse for caning a few beers – full of punkish life and ska-ish rhythm.
The Einstellung main set was immense and Mark Reck hinted strongly at just how incredible his set will be if we get a decent crowd in tomorrow.
Those are just a few highlights in around six hours of great stuff, the visuals were superb and all the performers, dancers and aerial artists really give a huge added dimension to the experience.
Most of all its just great to see such a lovely, diverse and creative bunch of people really enjoying themselves and sharing a great experience.
Right, I better get some sleep.
Rich
Xx
[…] out before the end and took the hard way in to see the Project X dress rehearsal, head honcho Rich Batsford has already been blogging about this, so go check it out. He says Dexter had had a few beers, our old mate Rob definably had […]
[…] some pictures here from me, and here from Matt Murtagh, and a more detailed blog from Rich Batsford here. Hope you can make tonight. (Its in the guardian you […]
[…] Rich Batsford also offered up a review of the dress rehearsal. […]