Battle of the Bands is our annual showcase offering a snapshot into the cutting edge of the new music scene. We had a blast at MOTH Club this year hearing new and original music from six emerging acts from diverse creative backgrounds.
Kemal Yusuf kicked off the night with his set ‘Fracture Theory’. Vocals, piano, electronics and projection came together to create a genre-defying set, showcasing Yusuf’s creative flair and distinct original approach. Manchester-based string quartet Vulva Voce followed with a stirring performance of music by Pauline Oliveros and Jessie Montgomery intertwined with improvisation. The four string players performed from memory with a striking energy and intuition for the music, creating a rousing atmosphere in the venue.
The third set of the night came from KOGG, composer-performer duo Cerys Hogg and Selena Kay. Armed with a plethora of objects and electronics, their set plunged us into experimental grooves and pulses, with whimsical sounds accompanying projections ranging from astral animations to traditional Hungarian dance. The Recycled Materials Trio then emerged for a performance of Hangrui Zhang’s Music for Recycled Materials: Episode 1. The three musicians conjured delicate sounds from instruments constructed from scrap metal and plastic, capturing the audience’s attention with the unusual timbres and the intricacy of the composition.
Anders Waller, Alex Lyon and Hannah Thomas presented an original set for cymbals, clarinet, electronics and dancer. The set featured movement, sound and electronics in their evocative performance, with Hannah (dancer) emerging from the audience to paint on a perspex screen at the front of the stage. Julia Set concluded the night with an audio-visual improvisation. Hypnotic visuals merged with brooding electronics for their set, drawing the audience into a world of delicate polyrhythms and intriguing sounds.
Congratulations to the 2023 champions Vulva Voce and runners up KOGG, selected by our expert industry panel of Alan Davey (BBC), Nwando Ebizie (multi-disciplinary artist), Toks Dada (Southbank Centre), Gabriel Prokofiev (composer, producer, Nonclassical Artistic Director) and Natalia Franklin Pierce (Nonclassical Executive Director).
Nonclassical would like to say a huge thank you to the incredible artists, our expert panel, our partners at State51 and funders at PRS Talent Development Network, our in house DJ Blue Maignien, everyone who donated to our fundraiser, the amazing audience and everyone else who was involved in making the night such a great event.
Videos from the night’s performances can be seen below.
All images by Dimitri Djuric
watch videos from the event
watch the acts perform live at state51
Check out our favourite moments from HANDEL THE INNOVATOR, our collaboration with the London Handel Festival.