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Drones to star in Cale show

Former Velvet Underground star John Cale is to premiere a new work in the UK which will feature the noise of flying drones as they hover over the audience.

The 72-year-old musician, who has often delved into the avant garde, will perform the new "audio-visual collaboration", called LOOP>>60Hz: Transmissions From The Drone Orchestra at the Barbican in London in September.

He is working with the designer and architect Liam Young on the project which will see the drones carrying speakers to project the sound, as well as making mechanical noises of their own which will be incorporated.

Cale, who collected an OBE from Buckingham Palace in 2010 with pink hair, will work with his band to perform songs from his extensive back catalogue.

But he has rearranged them using different tunings and to fit the new format.

Young is aiming to free the drones from their usual associations with surveillance and military uses to make them "choreographed, disembodied instruments which take flight in the auditorium to create a profoundly immersive live music performance", according to the Barbican.

The gallery said it had been through a long process to ensure the performance with the drones met rigorous health and safety rules.

A spokeswoman said: "We've already been through a lengthy planning and approval period with this project to ensure there won't be any risk to audiences attending the performances in September."

The drones will not all be in flight at once but will have choreographed entries and exits through the performances on September 12 and 13, using their own landing point on the stage.

Source: music.uk.msn.com
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