LIVE: NYX at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, London (25.02.24)

Utilizing the power of the human voice and transforming it to provide a performance of cell-tingling virtuosity; the NYX Drone Choir debuted a darkly sublime electronic-choral composition at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall last weekend. Performing a continuous 60 minute piece of work to a sold out venue, the choir shared their idiosyncratic sounds which fluctuated in volume and intensity, and shifted from seraphic to seance-like to provide an utterly captivating display.

The last time we saw NYX live, they were performing Deep England at The Barbican alongside Gazelle Twin, as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the cult folk-horror film, The Wickerman. Despite witnessing this production between the two creative forces many times before, the repetition did not detract from the majestic power of the first listen, which retained its unique nerve-shredding energy. Knowing what the NYX Choir are capable of thanks to these special collaborative performances, it’s no surprise that their new solo work is equally as exquisite.

Developed during their residency as part of the Southbank Centre Studio programme in 2023 (a project which enables creative development and cross-art-form collaboration), NYX crafted an intense, primal, utterly distinctive blend of potent vocals, mesmerising drone sounds and captivating electronic soundscapes. Shrouded under heavy blue light whilst standing in a semi-circle on stage, each member of the choir was clothed in a costume that cut an intriguing shadow. Violinist Alicia Jane Turner was rooted in the centre, with the accompanying members Cecilia Morgan, Phoebe Pimlott, Rhianna Compton, Rachel Oyawale and Shireen Qureshi positioned either side of them, and composer Sian O’Gorman closest to the crowd, standing stage right.

To dissect specific elements of the performance is to do it a disservice. The fluidity that NYX instinctively embody when performing live is a true spectacle and a testament to their passion for using the human voice as a collective instrument. Sometimes their vocals are canonical, and at other points they remain silent to spotlight the powerful solo vocal of a specific choir member. Early on in the performance, one member is hunched over, making heaving motions with their body, expelling strange, guttural whisperings and noises as their fellow vocalists sing in sweet unison around them. This dynamic, shape-shifting style of performance is what makes NYX’s live shows so special.

This shape-shifting is literal too. Choir members assume different levels and positions throughout the piece. Some stand statuesque, whilst another might lay stationary on the ground. One member might be sat facing away from the crowd, whilst another moves slowly towards the front of the stage to stare directly into the audience. The potency of their live show is made all the more palpable by these simple but effective movements. There is an altruistic element to all that NYX do, and that is especially clear during these parts of their performance. It subtly manipulates the attention of the audience, encouraging them to observe the individuals or who working in harmony to create a powerful communal production.

Watching NYX live inspires a formidable level of concentration and deep listening. They have a sound that seeps through the skin and into the bones; amalgamating dense yet atmospheric drone textures with their utterly beguiling vocals. Their new composition is another compelling example of their innovative aural storytelling potential. It is a must see performance; truly eccentric and totally unforgettable.

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Performance Credits
Composer: Sian O’Gorman
Costume Designer: Tom Scutt
Lighting Designer: Philippa Neels
Embodiment Director: Imogen Knight

Photo Credit: Joseph Lynn (@joelynntw)

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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LIVE: Gazelle Twin & NYX present ‘Deep England’ – Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre 20.11.19

An engrossing, ghastly, but intensely beautiful carousel of sound, Gazelle Twin‘s Deep England collaboration with the NYX Drone Choir is unlike anything you have seen or heard before. Inspired by the tracks that formed Gazelle Twin aka Elizabeth Bernholz’s 2018 album Pastoral, the joint performance at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall continued the artist’s harrowing up of England’s “rotten past” and exploration of its uncertain future.

Through the power of combined operatic voices, St. George-meets-The-Handmaid’s-Tale costumes and creative staging, Bernholz and her team have created a claustrophobic, charged gallop of aural anarchy with this latest endeavour. Informed by British paganism and ritualistic activity, Deep England feels almost supernatural at points, especially during ‘Fire Leap’, which is lifted from the cult 1973 film The Wicker Man. Multiple recorders and kazoos are played – instruments of nostalgic folly turned into present, frightening farce – as the choir slowly moved around the stage, chanting the lyrical motif “Take the flame inside you / Burn and burn below”, like a warped spell.

‘Better In My Day’ abruptly broke this spell, with its nervous, skittish percussion. It stands out in terms of volume and energy, with Bernholz and her chorus performing frenzied, stunted movements whilst snarling their way through the lyrics. A spotlight on a tree at the back of the stage (which has been present throughout the performance) commands Bernholz to sit under it, as the intro synth sequence to ‘Sunny Stories’ begins to play.

Bernholz delivered her dark fable under the fake foliage, gently lulling the choir into following track ‘Golden Dawn’. ‘Throne’ brought Bernholz back to centre stage and down to her knees, singing of “insolvency” and racking up debts. Eponymous track ‘Deep England’ closed the performance in the same un-nerving way it began; dimly lit, with the choir and Bernholz’s voices seething in unison.

Whilst Bernholz’s unique vision was brought vividly to life on her original record Pastoral, with the aid of the NYX drone choir her vitriol is able to take its fullest, most nerve-shredding form. Deep England is a phenomenal artistic accomplishment and a jarring reminder that our dark past is never too far behind us.

Deep England Credits:
Gazelle Twin: Elizabeth Bernholz
NYX vocalists: Adelaide Pratoussy, Cecilia Forssberg, Natalie Sharp, Ruth Corey, Shireen Querishi, Sian O’Gorman
Compositions and Music Direction: Elizabeth Bernholz and Sian O’Gorman
Movement Director: Imogen Knight
Sound Associate: Peter Rice
Production and Costume Design: Chloe Lamford
Stylist: Anna Josephs

Deep England was performed as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival 2019.

Photo Credit: Jamie Cameron

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Kate Crudgington1 Comment

Gazelle Twin & NYX Electronic Drone Choir to perform ‘Deep England’ as part of EFG London Jazz Festival

A unique artist with razor sharp vision and uncompromising creativity; Gazelle Twin (aka Elizabeth Bernholz) has paired up with the NYX electronic drone choir once again to perform ‘Deep England’; a hair-raising transformation of her recent album Pastoral, which exhumes England’s “rotten past” and questions its uncertain future. The performance will take place on 20th November at Southbank Centre, as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival.

The collaboration was first commissioned and performed in December 2018 as part of a collaborative series at London’s Oval Space, but now Bernholz’s operatic voice will be displayed in all its glory alongside the equally as powerful voices of the NYX choir in the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Together, Bernholz and NYX use their voices, acoustic glitching, polyphonic overtone and ambient textures to bring Gazelle Twin’s Pastoral vision to life. The unique choir explore and test the limits of organic and synthetic modulation to explore the entire spectrum of collective female voice as an instrument. Their veiled Handmaid’s-Tale-esque silhouettes are a formidable sight on stage, so expect to be blown away by the power and the glory of their live show.

GIHE will be at the show, and we urge you to grab a ticket for it here.

For more information about EFG London Jazz Festival events, click here.

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LIVE: Laura Gibson @ Queen Elizabeth Hall, 13.11.18

Having first fallen in love with Laura Gibson’s delicate, soaring vocals upon hearing 2016’s Empire Builder, it was an honour to be able to catch her live at one of my favourite London spaces last Tuesday.

Upon commencing her set at Queen Elizabeth Hall, a humble Gibson takes to the stage along with a trio of musicians, thanking us all for being there and revealing that when she creates music, she’s at her “most alone” but now – sharing her creations with us – she’s at her “most connected”. Immediately oozing her trademark spellbinding charm, and looping together layers of twinkling musicality, she treats our ears to a selection of offerings, from both her new album Goners and 2016’s aforementioned collection. From the majestic, folk-strewn melodies of the likes of ‘Slow Joke Grin’ and the sparkling splendour of ‘I Carry Water’ to the gentle, stirring emotion of ‘Damn Sure’, each poignant track tugs at the heartstrings in all the right ways.

Despite issues with a broken cable , Gibson remains calm, maintaining her charming rapport and endearing humour with the crowd throughout – “Well, the cable has been around the world with me, I guess London will be its final resting place”. And, when recalling the difficulties of touring Goners in certain European countries where the word doesn’t quite translate, her gentle wit continues to shine through.

With the majority of the set seeing Gibson at the helm of the keys, with her new material having generally more of an eclectic, musically varied sound that older offerings, she reveals that “… it’s been good to be free from the guitar strap”, before placing it over her head once more and breaking into the gritty whirring hooks of ‘Tenderness’. Succeeding in casting her spell over the crowd, Gibson’s sweeping vocals and heartfelt emotion is showcased at its more raw and spine-tinglingly powerful in (personal favourite) ‘Marjory’; a beautifully intimate offering complete with heady, soul-stirring strings courtesy of Kyleen King.

Following the closing two tracks from Goners, ‘Thomas’ and ‘I Don’t Want Your Voice To Move Me’, Gibson draws the set to a close with the glistening, uptempo sounds of Empire Builder’s ‘Not Harmless’. And all at once it becomes crystal clear that she is perfectly suited to playing in a venue of such prestige; the exquisite cinematic splendour of each and every offering matching its subtle grandeur completely.

Although I unfortunately had to make my way home before Dan Mangan took to the stage (and apparently played some wonderful songs with Laura too), what I did see of Gibson I am extremely grateful for. In a world that’s so swamped in darkness and fear at the moment, I couldn’t help but be filled with a certain sense of hope witnessing her heartfelt, exquisite grace and dreamy allure.

Mari Lane
@marimindles

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