Apollo For All Mankind : Barbican London

On the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landings, Icebreaker perform their multi-media reworking of Brian Eno’s Apollo album alongside works from eclectic ground-breaking composers.

Featuring pedal steel guitarist BJ Cole, film from Al Reinert’s documentary about the Apollo space missions, For All Mankind, and music by Brian Eno, Roger Eno and Daniel Lanois, Icebreaker’s piece captures the excitement and awe of the time. Widely regarded as Eno’s most significant work, the music matches the beauty and tranquillity of the moon with the dizzying scale of the feat of engineering involved. Deep synth rumblings mimic the rocket launch whilst string harmonics add an eerie sense of anticipation.

The programme also features new versions of tracks by Anna Meredith and electronic artist Jlin and some Icebreaker classics – part four of Michael Gordon’s Trance, a rare outing for Gavin Bryars’s The Archangel Trip and a tribute to Scott Walker as the ensemble perform Epizootics! featuring his original vocals.