During November 2020, we spent three weeks during lockdown at Northern School of Contemporary Dance creating work for 15 of their 2nd year BA students. The work was live-streamed from their theatre on Thursday the 3rd of December.

Walls of Sound is the penultimate track in Throbbing Gristle's second album, the sound which surrounds the majority of the work. As well as choreographing we undertook studies into 1970s Britain and the collapse of industry, the rise of industrial music, 14th Century Japanese Noh Theatre, the Fluxus art movement, queer theory, Japanese Horror, the work of artists ranging from Blake to Lowry and even got the students to go out onto the wild plains of Leeds to record the current and lost sounds of the city.

Thick & Tight have been invited to perform at the Noh Reimagined Festival in 2021 and this work forms part of our research. We’ve been working with the students to consider how best to take up this invitation and thoughtfully respond to this highly respected art form.

Audience feedback:

"Very impressed with the dancers. I found the group performance disturbing at turns. Couldn't help seeing the replication of movements, genderless/compounded gender of costume and dynamic music and movement as viral. The reflective stage and film of water at the end was very beautiful and seemed to wind down from the earlier sense of urgency" ★★★★★

"How you achieved that during covid is quite remarkable. The timing was amazing. Fantastic work. Congratulations to all concerned." ★★★★★

"Absolutely brilliant! It was mesmerising. What a huge challenge that ensemble piece gave them and they rose to it so well. Really, really impressive." ★★★★★

Performers: Holly Amos, Anastasia Argyropoulou, Edan Carter, Finlay Copland, Ada Freund, Eleni Green, Sylvie Holder, Cato Kendall-Muniesa, Pietro Carlo Mazzotta, Regine Phua, Chasmine Fay Roma Fangen, Johanna Spies, Libby Stant, Allegra Vistalli and Angela Zenare

Costume Design: Melissa Burton-Parry

Music: Throbbing Gristle, Thick & Tight & the students

Film Design: Daniel Hay-Gordon & Eleanor Perry

Rehearsal Director: Phil Sanger

Outside eye: Gary Clarke

A person facing us with one hand against their mouth as if shocked or just coughed. They are wearing a black balaclava with a tabard that has pointed white shoulders attached.

One dancer against a graphic background with stripes which all go horizontally. The dancer, silhouetted against the blue background has their arms stretched and interlaced above their head.

Six figures in a blue landscape all in different shapes and mid-motion.

A woman looking behind her, lost an uncertain.

Many figures kneeling near to the floor with their backs straight and hands near to their ears as though listening. They are on a mirrored floor against a grass green backdrop.

A dancer stands on one leg in a scene of blue kaleidoscopic light. One of his legs is stretched out directly behind them with their body leant forward.

Five dancers in sillouette against a blue background with both hands purched on their right shoulders

Five figures kneeling with their hands near to their chest in a position similar to praying. They look serein, surrounded by sky blue.

Photos by Camilla Greenwell

THICK & TIGHT

Photos by Camilla Greenwell

WALLS OF SOUND