As the sun starts to dip below the horizon, our cities change.

One by one, streetlights and neon signs flicker into life. This nocturnal world, this Neon world, is a place of mystery where anything is possible. Built around Steve Reich’s monumental Double Sextet, this show interrogates the darker side of our urban dreams, evoking the intrigue and momentum of sleepless nights and crowded streets.

A pair of Manchester Collective commissions lie at the heart of the programme – Hannah Peel’s titular ‘Neon’ is inspired by light and life, fusing layers of live electronics and field recordings from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo with the acoustic performances of the Collective. In her first major chamber commission, Berlin-based Lyra Pramuk presents a sensual world premiere, a meditation on the nature of time, memory and human experience. Elsewhere, Julius Eastman’s much maligned ‘Joy Boy’ presents a totally unique musical world of ‘ticker-tape music’.

Opening the show on select dates (London, Nottingham and Leeds), ‘The Age of Spiritual Machines’ is a new work for strings, electronics and two dancers by composer Daniel Elms and choreographer Alexander Whitley, exploring the relationship between music, movement and technology.

Fast. Slow. Fast. Keep up. Don’t be late.

Please note Hannah Peel and Lyra Pramuk will not be performing live. They have been commissioned by Manchester Collective to compose some of the music in this programme.

Tour Dates

14 May – London – Southbank Centre
15 May – Bristol – Strange Brew
18 May – Nottingham – Lakeside Arts 
19 May – Leeds – Howard Assembly Room
20 May – Salford – The White Hotel
21 May – Birkenhead – Future Yard
22 May – Stockport – Where The Light Gets In (Sold Out)

Check times and book tickets via the venue links

Setlist

Hannah Peel Neon
Julius Eastman Joy Boy
Lyra Pramuk Quanta – World Premiere
Steve Reich Double Sextet

Daniel Elms / Alexander Whitley The Age of Spiritual Machines (14, 18, 19 May) *

Approximate run time: 90 minutes / *115 minutes

Line-up

Violin, cello, flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, live electronics

Programme Notes →