Pencil Presents is a new music project aiming to gather “high calibre acts from across the world to create a visual and audio event where audience and artists experience a night in unison”. That's essentially a high faluting way of saying no breaks between acts with “added extras” such as live percussion, musical experimentation, fire juggling … spontaneous stuff (at least from the audience's perspective) that “develops and responds to people inside the club."
The first of this new series of monthly events is tonight at Village Underground featuring the Herbaliser, Norwegian folk/funkster Eric Ness, “circus-swing” act Gabby Young and Other Animals, the Haggis Horns (Mark Ronson's vote for the “best fucking horn section in the world”) and jazz rap group !K7 plus those spontaneous, added extra bits.
Bringing the night together is creative director, Greg Batsleer, who's usually the dude doing the staging, lighting and set design for such high profile performers as Jools Holland, Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett, Gavin Turk and Elbow. Tonight promises to highlight his skills and be as visually rich opportunity to experience live music.
Pencil Presents ... is at Village Underground 54 Holywell Lane, EC2A 3PQ tonight from 9pm. Tix cost £19.50 in advance (plus £2.50 in fees) and £22 on the door.
