The Necks at Strange Brew
Headfirst Editor's Pick

"Sell out warning! Not jazz nor rock nor film music, fans just call it ‘Necks music’. That spine-tingling unwinding of instrumental textures and improvised magic - a once in a lifetime gig for those who’ve never witnessed."

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A gig held at Strange Brew on Friday 15th November. The event starts at 19:00.


Strange Brew Presents
The Necks
Friday 15 Nov
19:00 - 22:00
2x 45 min sets!

Chris Abrahams (piano), Tony Buck (drums), and Lloyd Swanton (bass)

"One of the greatest bands in the world." - New York Times

"Tonal, accessible, and yet profoundly challenging... The Necks are singular... Yielding things no one else does." - The Wire

The Necks are one of the great cult bands of Australia and the world. Featuring lengthy pieces which slowly unravel in the most mesmerising fashion, frequently underpinned by an insistent deep groove, the eighteen albums by The Necks stand up to re-listening time and time again.

The deceptive simplicity of their music throws forth new charms on each hearing. Not entirely avant-garde, nor minimalist, nor ambient, nor jazz, it is totally unique in the world today.

Masters of their own musical language of long-form improvisation, each night they step onto the stage with no pre-conceived ideas of what they will play – they and the audience will go on a sonic journey that is created in the moment and in that room.

Over their 30 years together, they honed an assured process of building around repeated motifs through subtle shifts and layering, to produce an extraordinarily dense and hypnotic effect which builds in a mesmerising, epic fashion …. a trio conjuring an orchestral expanse. Every Necks' performance is a singular event, 2 sets of approximately 45 minutes, entirely improvised and working with the acoustics of the room.

Jazz Times, USA
"At around the 100-year point in jazz's evolution, conjuring new spirits out of old spells is a difficult mojo to work. But people are doing it - a case in point is The Necks."

Financial Times
"Absolutely riveting...how three musicians can sound like eighteen is a mystery... extraordinary magical sounds emerged from the ensemble...the way The Necks do this with acoustic instruments is nothing short of miraculous."

Entry requirements: 14+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio

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