In the Dark

Sitting in the medieval stone sanctuary of St Bartholomew the Great for In the Dark, I felt a surge of reverence wash over me.

I found myself considering the very question that creator and arranger Andrea Cockerton posed to the audience in her introduction: “Why do we go to concerts?” Is it to see a flashy stage show that overwhelms our senses, visually and aurally? To marvel at the skill of musicians navigating difficult pieces? Or simply to capture a video to show off on social media as a status symbol?

Cockerton instead invites the audience to focus solely on the sound. Her description of the concert as “the anti-AI” was particularly thought-provoking. In our technology-driven, oversaturated entertainment landscape, where there is an endless stream of generated content to consume, will audiences embrace an experience that removes one sense in order to sharpen another? I think the answer is yes, and In the Dark demonstrates the enduring value of live performance.

The 75-minute concert takes place entirely with the audience blindfolded. Andrea Cockerton has magnificently arranged a suite of classical, rock and folk-inspired music, breathing new life into songs by artists such as Coldplay, Sigur Rós and Mumford & Sons. Classical instruments, including cello, clarinet and trumpet, combine with rock and folk instruments such as mandolin, cajón and electric bass to create a distinctive soundscape.

St Bartholomew the Great is a wonderful setting. The reverberation within the 900-year-old stone church gives the music remarkable clarity and resonance, wherever the performers are positioned.

What I enjoyed most about In the Dark was the constant movement of the vocalists and musicians throughout the space. You could never predict where the next voice or instrument would emerge. A clarinet might begin a solo in the gallery above you, then make its way down into the central aisle as the music continued.

At other times, this sense of movement was achieved by instrumentalists positioned around the church picking up a musical phrase where another had left off. The transitions were so seamless that the music seemed to travel around the room at a supernatural pace.

These were the concert’s most effective moments of surprise. With my sight removed, the movement of the music around me gave me a renewed appreciation of each voice and instrument, their unexpected appearances feeling like small revelations.

However, the reliance on physical movement as the principal source of surprise also revealed what I felt was the production’s main shortcoming.

With the audience entirely blindfolded, I understand that sudden or shocking sounds might raise concerns about audience safety and comfort. The creative team faces the difficult challenge of making the experience surprising without undermining the audience’s trust. Nevertheless, when people sign up for an immersive performance such as In the Dark, there is surely room for a little more unpredictability.

Nostalgia, inspiration and romance were the three emotions I experienced most strongly during the concert. Yet I wondered why, given the sensory deprivation at the heart of the production, we were not invited to explore more unsettling emotional territory.

A screeching violin or an eerie clarinet phrase could have put the audience on edge before releasing them into a more reassuring musical passage. Almost the entire concert was pleasant, but I found myself longing for a more complex exploration of the emotional spectrum.

In the Dark is nevertheless a truly fantastic live performance. The musicians and vocalists are exceptionally skilled, and their movements throughout the space are superbly choreographed by Andrea Cockerton.

At a time when so much of our attention is consumed by screens, the value of attending a live performance and being encouraged to do nothing but listen for 75 minutes cannot be overstated.

You are reading this on a screen right now! Go and treat your ears to beautiful music in a beautiful space, and let your eyes enjoy a well-deserved rest.