Next week at Barbican two classic cult films will be scored live by leftfield musicians aiming to bring something new to each story.
First up is Asian Dub Foundation who’ll supply updated Bhangra and hip-hop beats to go with George Lucas’s 1971 debut, THX 1138. The director’s early sci-fi film is surprisingly out there considering what came later. It’s a minimalist tale set in a dystopian future in which a young, bald Robert Duval takes on a system that prohibits sex and prescribes mood-diminishing drugs.
Then there’s the 1960 version of Little Shop of Horrors which will get a new audio accompaniment courtesy of Live Live Cinema. The group consists of four Kiwis who’ll take on the task of re-doing the film’s dialogue, music and sound effects all live (and presumably at a fair lick like this). It should be interesting to see what they can add to the already OTT comedy-horror about the relationship between a hapless florist and a man-eating plant.
THX 1138 with Asian Dub Foundation is on 19 June at 7.30pm. Tickets £15-£25. Little Shop of Horrors with Live Live Cinema is on 21 June at 7.30. Tickets £12.50-£20.
