Member of Massive Attack to perform live in Sky Orchestra
Posted on: 15 Jul 2020The audio-visual spectacle will take off from a secret location one morning in July.
Massive Attack writer and producer, Stew Jackson, will play electric guitar live from a hot air balloon over Bristol this month.
Stew's appearance will form part of the Sky Orchestra – A New Dawn For Bristol, an arts project put together by artist Luke Jerram and composer Dan Jones, both of whom are based in Bristol.
The performance will see a flotilla of seven hot air balloons with speakers attached to their baskets float over the city to deliver a musical 'dawn chorus'.
It'll premiere specially commissioned new music, serenading the city with an 'uplifting visual and musical experience in surround sound'. The new score was commissioned by Bristol Old Vic.
Luke Jerram, co-founder of Sky Orchestra - A New Dawn For Bristol
Alongside Stew, several more local artists, both established and emerging, have contributed to the project. The full lineup was revealed yesterday, on Monday 14 July.
Founding member of Massive Attack, Grant Marshall, and founding member of Portishead, Adrian Utley, are both involved, in either creating or playing on the soundtrack.
Outgoing Bristol City Poet Vanessa Kisuule has recorded a spoken word contribution, and TV writer, composer and sound designer Elizabeth Purnell has created the soundtrack's string arrangements.
Emerging young Bristol talent performing includes Jo Bacon, Jerome Gamble and Joe Harding on the guitar, with Tom Nosek providing the vocals.
Jerome will join Stew in playing electric guitar live over the city during the performance.
A sketch of the Sky Orchestra project
Dan Jones, who is a BAFTA and three-time Ivor Novello award-winning composer, said:
"We're excited to be bringing together some of Bristol's most celebrated musicians alongside emerging young talent from across the city; Bristol continues to be a launchpad for musical innovation that spreads right around the world.
"This is a great opportunity for all of us to thank the city as a continued source of inspiration."
The exact date and times of the performance will remain secret, to avoid public crowds. More details will be announced on the day, as balloons take off.
Sky Orchestra performing over London in 2011
During the performance, spectators are encouraged to share photos and videos on social media with the hashtag #skyorchestra.
The musical composition will be released on EP, and will be made available to stream. Any funds raised will be donated to support emerging musicians in the city.
Though the upcoming performance will feature a new piece of music, this is not the first time the Sky Orchestra has visited Bristol. The Sky Orchestra floated over Bristol in 2003, as part of the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta.
Since then, the project has travelled worldwide, performing at the Sydney Festival in 2007, and in celebration of the London 2012 Olympics. Watch:
Luke Jerram, co-creator of A New Dawn For Bristol, is also behind several renowned projects including Park and Slide, which saw Park Street transformed into a massive water slide in 2014. He said:
“As the city begins to unlock, I wanted a way to deliver an uplifting experience to people in their homes.
“Something spectacular, yet somehow intimate; to create a sense of renewal, hope and rebirth, to raise the public’s spirits and mark a moment in time.
"I'd love to see how people experience the Sky Orchestra from around the city so please do share your photos and videos on social media, using the hashtag #skyorchestra."
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