last june i had the honour and absolute pleasure of recording a cover of “Woyaya” by Osibisa with these rascals.

 and it’s now out...

http://uproxx.com/music/this-is-the-kit-and-anais-mitchell-cover-of-woyaya/

live dates from spring and on into the summer here....

This Is the Kit will be playing Boston Calling Music Festival this May! Tickets on sale now! 

here’s where you can watch our tiny desk concert. recorded while we were over in the states on tour with The National at the end of 2017. thanks Bob!

and then a weekend at the Philharmonie de Paris ran seamlessly into a week’s residency in Berlin. Hosted by the Michelberger Hotel and taking place in the old GDR Funkhaus.

Basically it was nearly 100 artists all coming together and seeing what sort of projects and collaborations would bubble out of a week’s residency in a setting of amazingly built buildings/sound recording rooms/collection of studios/old abandoned rooms and halls.

...and all the while this was being closely and carefully observed by a team of incredible super brains who were slotting it all into some kind of schedule of activities everyday, and then finally, a program of events for the weekend, when the Funkhaus would be open to the public and everyone would be able to come and see the fruits of the weeks labours and exchanges. Needless to say the results were rather astounding.

Such generosity and openness of spirit, and executed with such grace and consideration.  What privilege and luck to have spent a week not only participating but also witnessing all this and learning and learning and learning so much about myself and others and the creative process and the human voice and the idea of community and let us not forget hospitality!

so a huge thank you to all who made this past week in berlin possible. here are some pictures of what went on....

the brains behind the operation

singing with a host of heavenly bodies

tom and nadine the masterminds and super human hosts. so generous and kind and gracious and graceful...

a choir of powerful women was formed for the occasion

marvels

moira would give us daily dance workshops. goddess.

the river Spree

mary superhuman hickson. she came and she slayed.

singin with lisa hannigan in the ornate saal 3

shuttle bus

preparations for Arone Dyers Drone Choir.

michelberger post boxes

dance workshop

women’s choir and julia the photographer

shuttle boat

my brightest diamond with stargaze Aaron and Brandon

more choir

Arone and Alec breakfast

stargaze Maaike Romain Marlies Hobner

Stargaze Shelly Maya Andre Rozi Jamie

Boniver run through 

what a time we’ve been having of late. i feel i should write a bit about what’s been going on in the cosmos of thisisthekit. so here goes...

a truly splendid summer of festival shows ran smoothly into the new academic year to which so many of us are all still biologically synced. 

at the end of September i had the great honour and pleasure of taking part in a weekend of events and concerts curated by Bryce Dessner at the Paris Philharmonie. Many very beautiful and powerful concerts, and the part i played was doing a spot of backup singing with these marvelous women.  an excellent and transformative time was had by all...

HERE’S WHAT WE’RE UP TO OVER THE SUMMER.... Sat 11 June 2016

Guy Garvey’s Meltdown @ Southbank Centre: Roof Garden

Tue 17 May 2016 FR Paris Badaboum

Wed 18 May 2016 FR Saintes Gallia Theatre

Tue 31 May 2016 UK Hay on Wye Howthelightgetsin @ Hay on Way Festival

Wed 1 June 2016 (with support from Andy Skellam) UK Leamington Zephyr Lounge

Thu 2 June 2016  (with support from Andy Skellam) UK Reading Sub89

Fri 3 June 2016  (with support from Andy Skellam) UK Manchester Deaf Institute

Sat 4 June 2016 UK Edinburgh Hidden Door Festival

Sun 5 June 2016  (with support from Andy Skellam) UK Leeds Brudenell Social Club

Sat 11 June 2016 UK London Guy Garvey’s Meltdown @ Southbank Centre: Roof Garden SOLD OUT

23rd-26th June 2016 Pilton Glastonbury festival

Sat 2 July 2016 UK Iona Iona Village Hall Festival 2016 SOLD OUT

Fri 15 July 2016 UK Wiltshire Larmer Tree Festival

Sat 23 July 2016 UK North Yorkshire Deer Shed Festival

Fri 29 July 2016 UK Wiltshire WOMAD

Sun 31 July 2016 UK Cambridge Cambridge Folk Festival

Thu 11 August 2016 DE Haldern Haldern Pop Festival

Fri 2 September 2016 UK Portmeiron Festival No. 6

Sat 3 September 2016 UK Birmingham Moseley Folk Festival

8-10 September 2016 UK Isle of Wight Bestival

Sun 11 September 2016 UK Winchester SC4M Festival @ Railway Inn

Sun 30 October 2016 UK Bristol Trinity Centre

Tue 1 November 2016  UK London Union Chapel

look out also as there will be more to slot in that haven’t been announced yet...

Tue 17 May 2016 FR Paris Badaboum http://www.digitick.com/this-is-the-kit-badaboum-paris-17-mai-2016-css5-supermonamour-pg101-ri3732584.html

Wed 18 May 2016 FR Saintes Gallia Theatre http://www.galliasaintes.com/index.php?page=spectacle&sid=65

Tue 31 May 2016 UK Hay on Wye Howthelightgetsin @ Hay on Way Festival https://howthelightgetsin.iai.tv/music-and-performance/music-line-up

Wed 1 June 2016 UK Leamington Zephyr Lounge http://www.seetickets.com/event/this-is-the-kit/the-zephyr-lounge/965134

Thu 2 June 2016 UK Reading Sub89 http://www.seetickets.com/event/this-is-the-kit/sub-89/971492

Fri 3 June 2016 UK Manchester Deaf Institute http://www.alt-tickets.co.uk/this-is-the-kit-tickets

Sat 4 June 2016 UK Edinburgh Hidden Door Festival https://www.facebook.com/hiddendoor/timeline

Sun 5 June 2016 UK Leeds Brudenell Social Club http://www.brudenellsocialclub.co.uk/whats-on/kit1

Sat 11 June 2016 UK London Guy Garvey's Meltdown @ Southbank Centre: Roof Garden  SOLD OUT http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/festivals-series/Guy-Garveys-meltdown

Sat 2 July 2016 UK Iona Iona Village Hall Festival 2016  SOLD OUT https://www.facebook.com/ionavillagehallmusicfestival/

Fri 15 July 2016 UK Wiltshire Larmer Tree Festival http://larmertreefestival.co.uk

Sat 23 July 2016 UK North Yorkshire Deer Shed Festival http://deershedfestival.com/#tickets

Fri 29 July 2016 UK Wiltshire WOMAD http://womad.co.uk/tickets

Sun 31 July 2016 UK Cambridge Cambridge Folk Festival https://www.cambridgelivetrust.co.uk/folk-festival/tickets

Thu 11 August 2016 DE Haldern Haldern Pop Festival http://haldernpop.com/haldern-pop-festival-2016-trailer-no-4/

Fri 2 September 2016 UK Portmeiron Festival No. 6 www.festivalnumber6.com

Sat 3 September 2016 UK Birmingham Moseley Folk Festival www.moseleyfolk.co.uk/tickets

8-10 September 2016 UK Isle of Wight Bestival http://www.bestival.net/

Sun 11 September 2016 UK Winchester SC4M Festival @ Railway Inn http://www.railwayinn.pub/show/sc4m-festival-2016

Sun 30 October 2016 UK Bristol Trinity Centre http://www.colstonhall.org/shows/this-is-the-kit-3/

here's how it's looking so far...