Legendary musician and producer Matthew Herbert has announced his forthcoming Scottish tour, which will see One Pig play in venues across the country in November 2012, including Mareel in Shetland on Wednesday 7 November.
One Pig is a musical performance made entirely out of the sounds of a single pig’s life, from birth to plate. Matthew recorded the birth, the life, and the butchering of the pig - though was unable to record the slaughter due to legal restrictions. These recordings were then used to create the critically acclaimed One Pig album (2011), on which the performance is based.
The album generated controversy before it was even released, when it was condemned by PETA as making "entertainment" from animal cruelty, apparently without first checking key details about Herbert's intention and methods.
The live show debuted at the Royal Opera House, London, in September 2011 and has since toured the world, performing at Berghain Berlin, STRP Eindhoven, Club Silencio Paris, Liquid Room Tokyo, Ancienne Belgique Brussels, headlining at Future Everything in Manchester, the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, and Palais de Tokyo in Paris.
One Pig explores and questions the life, death, and consumption of the pig. A chef cooking onstage brings the sound and smell of cooking pig, and the performance features a brand new custom instrument - the “Sty Harp”, built and performed by Edinburgh-based artist Yann Seznec. This representation of the pig’s home is used to trigger and control elements of music, forming an integral part of the 5 piece band.
Shetland Arts Music Development Officer Bryan Peterson said: “Matthew Herbert is a true pioneer of sampling and electronic music and his body of work is astounding. The show will be quite challenging and provide a thought-provoking perspective on agriculture and food production that I’m sure will be of interest to Shetlanders.”
One Pig will take place in Mareel on Wednesday 7 November. The free pre-concert workshop will run from 7pm – 7.30pm, and the concert will begin at 8pm. Tickets for the concert cost £15 / £12 and are available from Shetland Box Office in Mareel/Islesburgh, over the phone on 01595 745 555, or online here. This production is supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
Tour details November 2012 3rd - Glasgow, Tramway 4th - Dundee, Dundee Rep Theatre 5th - Inverness, Bogbain Farm 7th - Shetland, Mareel 8th - Edinburgh, Queen's Hall 9th - Dunfermline, Carnegie Hall 10th - Banchory, Woodend Barn (Sound Festival) http://www.onepigscotland.com/
About Matthew Herbert Matthew Herbert is an established musician and producer working in the field of electronic music. Known for stretching boundaries and breaking the conventions traditionally associated with the genre, he is one of the few independently minded artists to have made a considerable impact on both media and public whilst striving to be innovative and experimental. As a recording artist since 1996 he has released music on a variety of record labels under aliases such as Herbert, Doctor Rockit, Wishmountain and Radio Boy and has performed live in the United States, Japan, Australia, Asia and extensively across Europe. In 2012, Herbert was appointed as the creative director of the newly revived BBC Radiophonic Workshop, the famous experimental music unit responsible for creating seminal works including the Doctor Who theme tune. He has supported Björk at the Hollywood Bowl, played the Montreux Jazz Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival in Cape Town, the Pompidou Centre in Paris and The Big Chill in England, as well as headlining at Barcelona’s Sonar Festival and London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. He was recently appointed creative director of the Radiophonic Workshop.
Matthew Herbert talks about the story behind One Pig
