For the Manchester International Festival, 2017 New Order took over Stage 1 of Manchester’s iconic Old Granada Studios for this special series of intimate shows, created in collaboration with two close associates: artist Liam Gillick and composer-arranger Joe Duddell, a fellow son of Manchester and a frequent collaborator with the band.
For New Order + Liam Gillick: So it goes.., the group deconstructed, rethought and rebuilt a wealth of material from throughout their career: familiar and obscure, old and new. Performing it live, they were joined by a 12-strong synthesiser ensemble from the Royal Northern College of Music, with Joe Duddell providing the orchestrations.
Inspired by this reinvention of the band’s catalogue, Liam Gillick transformed the historic Stage 1 into an immersive environment, creating a stage set that reacted dynamically to the music.
A pre-show soundscape entitled Breathless was created and recorded for MIF17 by the Option (Paris), in collaboration with Dave Haslam.
Commissioned by Manchester International Festival. (This link opens in a new tab).. (This link opens in a new tab)., OGR and Wiener Festwochen. Produced by Manchester International Festival.