An Unorthodox 1-2

Performances

2008 / 2009

Appearing at the Royal Opera House Linbury Theatre 24th/25th November as part of Firsts ’09.

An Unorthodox 1-2 is a spoken word and music piece commissioned in 2008 by Bifocals Community Arts as part of a residency at Barrow AFC. The piece combines field recordings, spoken word and instrumental material to explore the aural environment of the ground from the physical sounds of the game to the emotional response of the crowd.

Inspired by visits to the Holker Street ground, Glenn Boulter produced a series of texts that were later recorded with Barrow-based actor and Barrow fan Damian Rose. Drawing on early experimental radio dramas, these fragmentary monologues collaged together adverts for defunct local businesses, found text from programmes and details of local geography. Edited and looped, the spoken texts formed the starting point for three instrumental pieces, performed by Aurelie members Francis O’Donnell Smith, David Dhonau, Euan Roger and Ola Szmidt. Combined, the two elements attempt to capture the unique aura of match day in a South Cumbrian town and to make explicit the idea of the game as a performance in its own right.

Recent live performances have seen Aurelie joined by John Hall on laptop, including the opening night of the Arcola Theatre’s Grimeborn Festival in August of this year.

Performances are accompanied by excerpts from Unbridled, a video installation focusing on memory, geography and football culture created by Francis O’ Donnell Smith documenting an interview at with lifetime Barrow AFC supporter Geoff Payne.

Click here for an excerpt from

An Unorthodox 1-2