Bold Tendencies | Classical Concerts in a Car Park
London proudly boasts some of the world’s greatest concert halls: the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre, the Royal Albert Hall, the Barbican… and a multi-storey carpark in Peckham.
Yes, seriously.
For their annual summer programme, not-for-profit organisation Bold Tendencies have transformed an abandoned multi-storey car park into a cultural hub of sculpture art, literature and music (with a rooftop bar thrown in for good measure).
Luca Migliore
The set-up is simple, with some atmospheric overhead lighting, a cluster of chairs and a heavy curtain the only touches needed to transform the ninth floor from car park to concert hall. That, and a plywood acoustic wall that was installed in 2017 to help cut out a bit of the background noise. It’s an arrangement that’s as intimate as it is unconventional, putting you much closer to the musicians than other venues (and sometimes, actually encouraging you to walk through the orchestra itself).
Damian Griffiths
This year’s summer programme runs from 17th May – 14th September, and the lineup is as broad and exciting as ever. Some of the upcoming picks from the class of 2024 include:
- Communion: Songs of Revolution, Ritual & Requiem (1st June) – the season kicks off with a spine-tingling performance by the Festival Voices and five guest choirs, singing rousing anthems by Nina Simone, Vera Lynn, and Mozart among others.
- Keith Jarrett: The Köln Concert (15th June) – The jazz artist’s legendary one-off performance in Köln back in 1975 went down in history: it was organised by a teenager, cost £1.78, and – despite him performing at 11.30pm, tired, hungry and riddled with back pain – became the best-selling solo jazz album of all time. And he’s granted renowned pianist Maki Namekawa to recreate it here.
- The Fire Next Time! – James Baldwin: Notes On A Native Son (3rd August) – an evening reflecting on the writings of activist and beacon of the 60s Civil Rights Movement James Baldwin, led by the London Review of Books.
- GBSR Duo: Music For A Summer Evening (10th August) – Artists George Barton and Siwan Rhys return after last year’s sell-out appearance with an evening of contemporary compositions from the likes of Steve Reich and George Crumb, enlisting everything from a vibraphone to Tibetan prayer stones.
- Fitzcarraldo Editions: Annual Summer Party (20th June) – the instantly recognisable little blue books celebrate some of their most treasured authors, with readings by Toby Jones, Marianne Brooker and more.
- Oona Doherty & NYDC: Wall (25th July) – Award-winning “maverick choreographer” Oona Doherty teams up once more with Sadler’s Wells‘ 32-strong National Youth Dance Company to interpret the state of modern Britain through dance.
- Franz Kafka: Deep Cuts (3rd July) – everyone’s favourite nihilist gets a 100th deathday party, with readings from his surreal and darkly comic books, diaries and letters.
- Multi-Story Orchestra: Verified (4th & 5th July) – having sold out last year, the community orchestra returns with its unique blend of spoken word, music and storytelling to explore the pressures of life in the digital age.
- BULLYACHE: Who Hurt You? (20th July) – a genre-defying visual spectacle from “one of the most bizarre new British pop phenomena”, drawing on references as diverse as Showgirls and Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet Manon.
- Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2 ‘Resurrection’ (14th September) – the programme’s closing night brings together the Philharmonia Orchestra and Philharmonia Chorus to perform the composer’s passionate plea for renewed life after death.
As always, you’ll be able to get a pre or post show tipple upstairs at Frank’s. Cocktails, skyline views and live classical music: there’s your evidence that an evening at a carpark can be classy too.
NOTE: The Bold Tendencies summer programme runs from 17th May – 14th September 2024. Tickets start at £6; you can find out more and book right HERE.
Bold Tendencies | Multi Storey Car Park, 95A Rye Lane, Peckham, SE15 4ST
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