New Model Army has announced a revolutionary two-night event at the Round Chapel in Hackney, London, April 13th/14th 2018.
You know those moments when a band plays quietly and the whole audience sings the words? Sometimes, these are the most emotional experiences – because singing together is the oldest and most basic form of human art, something primal and truly shared. So we are planning two nights of just this, which, to the best of our knowledge, has never been attempted by any band ever.
We have chosen the Round Chapel in Hackney both for its amazing open acoustics and for the circular layout of the room, which we believe will be perfect for the spirit of the event.
These are not concerts as such; this is a community singing event for all those people who love our songs, who love singing and love the feeling of singing together with others. The venue will be fully seated around a small stage constructed in the centre of the room; the whole band will be playing but the arrangements will be deliberately stripped down and very quiet – there will be no big PA system. The nights will be all about the participation and voices of everyone who comes.
While we are open to suggestions, ultimately we will choose the songs that lend themselves best to the idea – strong melodies and slower, easy vocal rhythms will suit best and we will vary these over the two nights. We will issue song-books (included in the price of the ticket) as we understand that people often know particular lines and choruses but usually not all the lyrics; and, of course, we plan to record and film both nights.
If you love singing and love New Model Army songs and love the sense of community that we have created over the years, we hope you’ll join with us from all different corners of the World for these special nights.
Tickets went on sale from the band’s own website at www.newmodelarmy.org (in order to undercut crazy ticket agency fees) on two weeks ago and sold out within an hour.
UPDATE: A further Sunday matinee show on the afternoon of April 15th has now been announced. Tickets here https://shop.newmodelarmy.org/product/nights-of-a-1000-voices-sunday-april-15th-2018/