MIF23: The Comet is Coming and Daisy Dickinson
Johnny James, Managing Editor
The Comet is Coming and Daisy Dickinson present Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam – a unique collision of the band’s cosmic sounds and Dickinson’s transcendent visuals – specially commissioned for Manchester International Festival 2023.
Incorporating elements of jazz, electronica, funk and psychedelic rock, The Comet is Coming (saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, synth player Dan Leavers and drummer Max Hallett) exploded onto the London scene in 2015, around which time the Guardian described them as “true heirs” of cosmic jazz pioneer Sun Ra, praising them for their “fusion of jazz, Afrobeat and electronica in an improvisational, intergalactic mash-up”.
Their latest record, Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam, finds the finds the Mercury Prize-nominated trio creating a musical landscape that is equally cerebral as it is physically enthralling. While containing elements of jazz throughout, this release leans further into heavy dance-hall themes, providing hypnotic, electronic soundscapes to dance to while keeping you intellectually stimulated.
For this special MIF23 performance, the band are joined by London-based director and visual artist Daisy Dickinson, their long-term collaborator. Dickinson’s visuals have been described as “magmatic and sulphurous, cosmological and transcendental”, her short films have been screened at film festivals such as BFI London and Raindance, and her installations have toured the globe, from Glastonbury to Japan.
Together they present Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam – a cosmic alignment of interstellar talents that seeks to transport audiences to new worlds.
