The king of Brit-pop, Jarvis Cocker, spent the majority of this week performing at the Village Underground Gallery in Shoreditch. It’s here that Cocker and his motley band, provided the backing track to a variety of bizarre workshops, including, pole dancing, hula-hooping and yoga classes. Open to all, and intended to break down the barriers between performer and audience, musician and artist and of course Cocker and fans.
Following the success of a previous event in which Cocker, performed inside a small gallery in his hometown of Paris, last May, the idea inspired locals to become creative forces themselves, as opposed to continuing as passive consumers of music and art.
Over the course of a week, a variety of improvised performances took place in which anyone could get on stage and have a jam with the king himself. The highlight of which was an improvised version of Another Brick in the Wall, Pink Floyd, which provided the soundtrack for a live graffiti artist’s performance to mark the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The whole event was broadcast live on the Internet and cumulated in a concert on the Wednesday evening. A very memorable community event, which succeeded in fulfilling Cocker’s aim of breaking down barriers and bringing local, creative minds together who may never have crossed paths otherwise. Hats off to you, Mr. Cocker for your gallant efforts.
Photos by David Emery
Tags: brit-pop, cocker, Jarvis, Jarvis Cocker, London, Shoreditch, the king of british pop, Village Underground
