Preview: Wet Sounds

By London_DaveK Last edited 188 months ago
Preview: Wet Sounds

Although this season hasn't been much of a scorcher, we still need to visit the local lido at least once a year or it just doesn't feel like summer. With the number of gigs we attend, we're often faced with a choice between the dimly-lit venue and the lovely outdoor London we too often neglect. Thanks to the organisers of Wet Sounds, however, we can have a dip and entertain our ears all in one go.

An underwater travelling sound art gallery, Wet Sounds has been on the move across the United Kingdom since 6 July, when it made its debut at Hackney's London Fields Lido. Each stop on its tour has provided the opportunity for locals to hear experimental sounds subaquatically, where they not only travel four times faster but can also be felt more intensely by the body. The sensation is likely to differ depending on whether you're floating, submerged or resting poolside, so this installation holds the potential to be incredibly interactive.

On Saturday 19 July this watery road show closes with a return to London Fields Lido and a rare surrealist treat. Andrew Liles will perform alongside venerable experimental act Nurse With Wound in the only live performance of the tour. Nurse With Wound have been mixing surrealism, data and musique concrète for nearly thirty years, but gigs have been few and far between. The core of Nurse With Wound, Steven Stapleton, has an uncanny ability to work an absurd sense of humour into his often unsettling and creepy works. Playing his far out sounds at a lido, then, strangely makes sense. Easily the most unique gig anyone will arrange this year, we highly recommend you spend Saturday night swimming.

Wet Sounds at London Fields Lido, Saturday 19 July 2008 at 6:00 p.m. Tickets available through See Tickets.

Last Updated 16 July 2008