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Swordfishtrombones Revisited

,Barbican Hall
An illustration of the guests for Swordfishtrombones Revisited in the style of the record artwork

David Coulter presents the world premiere of his re-interpretation of Tom Waits’ darkest, boldest record with guests including Matthew E White, Nadine Shah, Soap&Skin, Dorian Wood and Lisa O’Neill.

Released in 1983, Swordfishtrombones marked a new chapter in Tom Waits’ career as he drifted away from the piano jazz club atmospheres towards darker inspirations. This radical change of direction towards experimental rock became one of the seminal musical landmarks of the 1980s.

Mercurial multi-instrumentalist and composer David Coulter has worked with Waits as well as other artists such as Gorillaz, Kronos Quartet, Marianne Faithfull and The Pogues. He is also a curator of adventurous musical performances such as Rain Dogs Revisited, David Lynch Revisited and Jim Jarmusch Revisited. He is joined on stage by some of the UK’s finest musicians on stage including members of Polar Bear, The Invisible and more.

Tagged with: Contemporary music

This performance will start at the advertised start time and run for approx. 90-100 minutes with no interval.

Produced by the Barbican

Performers

  • David Coulter   musical director, musical saw, guitar, percussion
  • Nadine Shah   vocals
  • Matthew E White   vocals
  • Soap&Skin   vocals
  • Lisa O'Neill   vocals
  • Dorian Wood   vocals
  • Terry Edwards   saxophones, trumpet
  • Dave Okumu   guitar
  • Tom Herbert   bass
  • Pete Saunders   piano
  • Thomas Bloch   ondes martenot
  • Seb Rochford   drums

Programme

Read the programme for this gig here.

Discover

Photo of Swordfishtrombones album cover

Listen: Swordfishtrombones

Take a listen to American singer-songwriter Tom Waits' first self-produced album Swordfishtrombones, which he released back in September 1983.

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Barbican Hall

Location
The Barbican Hall is located within the main Barbican building. Head to Level G and follow the signs to find your seating level. 

Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
​​​​​​​The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.