These New Puritans battle illness at ‘Hidden’ show

Band are joined by chamber orchestra, children's choir... and a melon-smasher

These New Puritans played their critically-acclaimed second album ‘Hidden’ in its entirety last night (Oct 23) at the Barbican Centre in London.

In order to replicate the songs as fully as possible, the band were joined by an extra 46 musicians, comprised of a 30-piece children’s choir, the 12-piece Britten Sinfonia, conductor Andre De Ridder, a pianist and two percussionists.

The latter two members of the ensemble were responsible for replicating the record’s strangest sounds. At different points they could be observed playing a six-foot Japanese taiko drum, metal chains, knives and, on the track ‘Fire-Power’, melons coated in cream crackers, which were hit with a hammer to simulate the sound of a human skull being smashed.

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Singer Jack Barnett was suffering from a throat infection, meaning that he was unable to talk at the previous day’s rehearsals. He made it through the show, however, at the end of which he and his band received a standing ovation.

See next week’s NME for the full story of the event.

These New Puritans will now take their second album show into mainland Europe, playing the following dates:

Crossing Border Festival, Den Hague, Holland (November 20)
Centre Pompidou, Grande Salle de Concert, Paris (December 18)

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