experience pure, live, 360° sound, with #nofilters
come into the dark to experience 30 world-class musicians playing around, amongst & through you - no speakers, just pure organic sound and total darkness for full sensory perception
“the best musical experience of my life”
“It was like being surrounded by a cascade of sound, that took me to some other place”
“Profound & surreal, eerie & beautiful, deeply emotional, and almost spiritual”
“I felt the music took me with it on every crescendo and diminuendo”
“A profoundly.. beautiful experience. One of those gigs I will take to my grave”
“You could feel the electricity throughout your body as the music ebbed and flowed”
“I cried, I meditated and at some point… it just felt like floating”
“I thought we were no way near the end, it so consumed my sense of time”
“I thought if I die accompanied by this sound, that would be OK”
“A time & space where you can fall in love with the best of humanity all over again”
“The build at the end, surrounded by music as it swelled, took my breath away”
“I was moved to tears. And I wasn’t alone. I felt as if I was being led into another realm..”
“It was visual in my mind. I was amazed where it took me and I loved how it felt”
“Truly a magical experience, both soothing and profoundly inspiring”
“An absolutely mind altering, haunting and emotional performance”
“One of the most incredible experiences of my life in a long time”
our dark venues
St Andrews Holborn
multiple January dates
• Chancery Lane •
St Giles Cripplegate
Saturday 31 January
• Barbican •
Feb - March dates will be released soon / to be notified about new dates, sign up here
please note that our show at The Cutty Sark is managed by their box office, so you’ll be taken to another site.
FAQs
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Yes, completely. Both for the audience and the musicians. A sleep mask is included with your ticket for full immersion.
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A secret mix crossing ambient, Scandi, nu-folk, indie & a little experimental. It’s not classical music or jazz, though tiny elements may feature. The best way to describe it is how it feels - profound, raw, cathartic & at times ethereal.
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There’s a tiny bit of amplified sound as you arrive, and for a couple of moments during the show. But other than that, it is completely acoustic. And it’s definitely not a band. There are c.25 voices and c.25 instruments… and they’re all playing live, around you.
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A secret ensemble of multi-instrumentalists & singers. You’ll meet them at the end.
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It couldn’t be further from it. Around 30 musicians are going to be performing live… around, past & through you… and they’re also in total darkness, just like the audience. It’s an extraordinary way of experiencing live music.
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St Andrew Holborn - a few minutes walk from Chancery Lane tube. The full address is 5 St Andrew Street London EC4A 3AF
St Giles Cripplegate - the church that William Shakespeare used to attend… The full address is Fore Street, London. EC2Y 8DA.
And for one night only, on 13 February, underneath the hull of the incredible Cutty Sark (King William Walk, Greenwich, London SE10 9HT)
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c.70 minutes - doors open 30 mins beforehand and we strongly suggest arriving early.
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No. Once we go dark, we go dark. Doors close at the exact start time and we can’t admit latecomers.
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Seated throughout, on a mixture of pews & chairs. Audiences in the past have brought cushions, blankets & hats, and all are welcome - be as comfortable as you desire.
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St Andrew Holborn • in term of entry & exit, absolutely, however the venue unfortunately doesn’t have any accessible toilets. To help this we’re compiling a list of places close by that do and will share that with you by email when you contact us to buy accessible tickets.
St Giles Cripplegate • in term of entry & exit, absolutely, however the venue unfortunately doesn’t have any accessible toilets, and has only one small (pretty inaccessible) toilet overall. To help this we’re compiling a list of places close by that do and will share that with you by email when you contact us to buy accessible tickets.
The Cutty Sark is fully accessible. -
St Andrew Holborn & St Giles Cripplegate • simply email hello(@)in-the-dark.com, and we’ll send you a special code so that you can buy a ticket for yourself and of course your essential companion. We’ll make sure you’re well taken care of on the night and offer priority entry to our ‘music-able’ ticket holders. We’ll also ask for your feedback after the event to make sure that we make our events as accessible as humanly possible.
Booking for the Cutty Sark - including for accessible tickets - is via their website
Important - please see the answer to ‘are the venues accessible’ for full accessibility details
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If your child can sit still & quietly, they’ll love it. No under 6’s though, thank you.
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Not at all. This is about deep listening – not scare tactics or theatrics.
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Max 400 - this is a small batch, intimate show :)
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in the dark treats sound differently from any other music performance you're likely to have experienced.
Whereas in the main, with conventional performances the sound comes from one direction and everyone hears the same, with our show, the thirty performers will be performing in multiple positions around, through and amongst the audience throughout the show… all without amplification. Because of this, every single person in the room will hear something different and, put simply, the best sound is where the performers are able to surround that particular seating area perfectly or not!
Tier A - the best seats in the house where we're able to truly surround you with performers, and where the instruments & voices have the most intense clarity, closeness & impact… the real heart of the sound
Tier B – still in the main performance area, but less in the centre of the sound. The performers still move around you, but the clarity & definition is one step removed. Still immersive, just less perfect!
Tier C – positioned side-on to the soundscape, where you will still hear the movement of the music, but where we can't get the musicians completely around you… think more 180° than 360°
what makes this different from anything you've experienced?
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complete sensory focus - no visual distractions, just pure, live, sound
360-degree immersion - the musicians are positioned… well… everywhere
moving 3D sound - the music isn't static. you are enveloped in music. sometimes you feel & hear a musician right next to you, sometimes a way behind, and sometimes their sound almost passes through you
our secret repertoire - if you're open to the unexpected - and especially to ambient, nu-folk, experimental, Scandi and soundscapes - you'll love it