Due to unforeseen circumstances this evenings concert is cancelled
The Harrison, Kings Cross
Sunday 22nd October
Blending tradition, experimentation, and sheer nonsense in roughly equal measure, the Idumea Quartet deconstruct and reconstitute Appalachian folk music, drawing strong influences from minimalism and experimental music. Using the traditional string quartet instrumentation while coming from a shared background in traditional music, the quartet seeks to bring the trad repertoire into conversation with a chamber music aesthetic. Add harmonized singing into the mix and the result is a sound which is both high and lonesome and symphonic.
The band’s first unofficial performance came at the end of 2016 in a small pub in Kent; a serendipitous combination of people who all knew of each other, but had never all been in the same room before, let alone played together. The resulting gig and the unique conjoining of different styles and approaches made each of them feel that there was something worth exploring. So, six months later, they met, performed again and started to shape more clearly the sound of the Idumea Quartet. Debut album More Than One shows traditional Appalachian music in a new light, complemented and transformed by the aesthetic of a classical string quartet, albeit one in which there is no written music, content is originally improvised and vocals also take a prominent position.