The Irrepressibles

 

The Irrepressibles

01 August 2008

You have over 3,000 friends on MySpace. How many of them have you actually met?
Jamie: Not many of those 3,000, though we do often end up collaborating with our fans on artwork, shows and even bringing them into the performance in unusual ways.
Jordan: I'm judging by the comments that most of them must have seen us perform at some point, but I couldn't say I've met a whole lot of them. We're always busy backstage preening and pompadouring ourselves to perform!

You're playing in the woods at Latitude. What's the most unusual venue you've performed at?
Jamie: The most unusual place I've personally performed at was a mental institution for the criminally insane. Yes, it was quite a gig! With The Irrepressibles I've been brought in on a gondola, performed on a bandstand in costumes made of thousands of plastic bags, performed at the Roundhouse 10m in the air with the string section and woodwind section in specially made chairs... and there's more weird and wonderful performances to come.

Are there any other art forms or craft you would like to explore?
Jordan: Two of us are writing operas at the moment. Mine is separate from the band (although things could develop on that front), but Jamie's is quite new; more like music theatre (but not musical theatre!).
Jamie: We've done lots already with dance, set, live performance painting, sound artists, film, costume and we're just working on an experimental piece with the Arcola Theatre as part of their opera festival. I'd love to work with a steam engine in musical performance; funnily enough we should be soon...

'We create the most unique performances with amazingly gifted creative and technical teams'

Describe your ideal night out
Jamie: Performing an Irrepressibles fantastical! Recently seeing the screening to a film by Shelly Love called Forgotten Circus, that we'd created the score for, was pretty special. Was so incredible and humbling hearing my music on film, made me cry.

What is the best thing about being a part of this orchestra?
Jamie: Creating a spectacle, collaborating with artists and cuddling the band! We create the most unique performances with amazingly gifted creative and technical teams. The band are all incredibly special people, as are our collaborators who've come from all over the world with many different perspectives and stories to tell.
Jordan: With 10 birthdays in the band, it's a constant party at rehearsals! But seriously, playing the music to live audiences is the best thing for me (and making some of the costumes too - that's great fun!).

Would you rather live in a lighthouse or a windmill?
Jamie: A windmill. The wind is a mystery; it makes things dance with effortless abandon.
Jordan: 'To The Lighthouse' my friend. So much of our music has a strong association with water and the sea, we have an undoubtedly British flavour.

The Irrepressibles are Jamie McDermott (vocalist/composer/art director), Jordan Hunt (violin), Jamil Reyes (percussion), Charlie Stock (viola), Nicole Robson (cello), Sophie Li (double bass), Oliva Duque (oboe/cor anglais), Sarah Tobias (clarinet/saxophone), Gary Hughes (flute), Sarah Kershaw (electric piano/organ/harpsichord) and William Turner-Duffin (sound art/electronics)

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