One of the most prestigious companies on the contemporary European scene presents a performance about effort. Yes, we will see performers who fight to communicate…. channelling their efforts in the wrong direction.
Concert by a Band Facing the Wrong Way is the portrait of a group of decadent Western artists who run tirelessly forwards. It is unclear whether they are fleeing from the misery of a world that is not theirs, or if they are instead chasing it. This performance is like a pressure cooker bursting with endless force, which leads to an exuberant optimism… but completely lacking a sense of direction. The "Band Facing the Wrong Way" consists of Rombout Willems on guitar, Nicolas Field on drums and Maarten Seghers as singer and background dancer.
It’s true that the effort made by these musicians to communicate with their audience has no limits, however they go about it the wrong way. Shouts can be heard but although audible are not necessarily comprehensible. A lightning-fast composition, a choreography for the men who move forward relentlessly: the sounds made by the artists, their gestures and the lighting all reverberate off the back wall of the stage. It’s the reverberation of this effort that becomes a tragedy in itself.
This is the latest creation of a company that works in fields ranging from the theatre, dance and performance to visual art and writing, always in search of authenticity and meaning. As well as multidisciplinary, the line-up is also multilingual and multinational, since its members come from seven different countries.
Needcompany was created in 1986 by stage director Jan Lauwers (we saw his Begin the Beguine in Barcelona a few months ago) and Grace Ellen Barkey, who were joined in 2001 by Maarten Seghers, director of this show.
Co-produced by Needcompany, l'Auditori and Malta Festival Poznań
Concert by a Band Facing the Wrong Way is part of the Scenes cycle at L’Auditori.
Supported by the Belgian Federal Government’s Tax Shelter and the Flemish Authorities.
Author: Maarten Seghers Director and Playwright: Maarten Seghers Performers: Nicolas Field, Maarten Seghers, Rombout Willems Music composed by: Maarten Seghers Musicians: Nicolas Field, Maarten Seghers, Rombout Willems Set Designer: Maarten Seghers Wardrobe: Lot Lemm Assistant Director: Morgane Benyamina Producer: Needcompany Photography: Morgane Benyamina Fritzwelch
