#FourPlay String Quartet

[neil-gaiman]

10. Neil Gaiman and FourPlay String Quartet – Signs of Life

Sydney-based string quartet FourPlay have made a name by playing versions of music by various rock and jazz artists, including Radiohead and Metallica, but they have also been working with the fantasy writer Neil Gaiman for more than a decade. Here they provide a series of wonderfully quizzical, meandering accompaniments as Gaiman recites deeply humanistic prose and poetry about truth, lies, death, Joan of Arc and the “casual genocide” of Indigenous Australians. His verses can be horrific, mini-horror movies, like The Wreckers, or amusingly whimsical and Ivor Cutler-ish, like Möbius Strip.

#really proud of this one #fourplay string quartet

[stvrmaker]

A long long time ago I illustrated a page of the ending of Neil Gaiman’s ‘In Transit’ which is a lovely beautiful thing.

I’m not sure if I’ll ever do the entire thing but I did the ending. I listened to the audio version with Fourplay String Quartet on repeat while I was working on it too.

Figured since we’re coming up on the eclipse it’s a timely piece to share! ⭐️🫶🏻

#good omens #in transit #eclipse #neil gaiman #fourplay string quartet #art #myart #poem #poetry #illustration #illustrator #artists on tumblr

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Hi! Love your blog, you’re the heart of the fandom. ❤️ I came across a snippet of news about music in the new season that is barely anything but made me excited anyway, so I thought I’d share the “wahoo”. :) It’s from an article about Neil’s collaboration with an Australian string quartet.

https://www.npr.org/2023/04/27/1171910322/writer-neil-gaiman-debuts-his-first-music-album-with-an-australian-string-quarte

Hiya! :) Ooo, thank youu!❤❤ It looks brillant! :) Wahoo!

(link, Music-filled omens: Gaiman says he's just getting started with music. For the upcoming second season of the TV adaptation of a 1990 novel Good Omens, written with Terry Pratchett, Gaiman describes an "absolutely fascinating" process of working various songs and music into new episodes.)

#good omens #neil gaiman #gos2 #season 2 #s2 music #music #neil and music #FourPlay String Quartet

[inafever]

The Wreckers - Neil Gaiman

#just logged in to drop this here #it's a song from signs of life album by gaiman and fourplay string quartet #didn't expect it to have anything that matched my taste. wanted to listen through some songs out of curiosity anyway #and i got hooked on this one #like i don't even listen to -what genre is this- classical music? #but the music? #the violin? #the grief? #the poem? #gave me shivers #after a short story and two books I'm just realising im into his writing #neil gaiman #signs of life #the wreckers #neil gaiman poem #fourplay string quartet #btw i read he'd written this for a friend who'd been going through a series of miscarriages #but the feeling of being unable to do anything about the pain you're going through is the same #poetry

[this-cult-of-dionysus]

@neil-gaiman

I like making charcoal art while listening to albums on vinyl. It’s my favorite way to consume (and react to) media.

Listened to Signs of Life, watched that pretty purple disc spin, and churned out a portrait of this nifty chap.

The scribbles came of their own accord. Little nightmares, I think.

#author #musician #neil gaiman #fourplay string quartet #they’re so cool too pls check them out #two violas?? I could cry :’) #signs of life #good omens #coraline #the sandman #ocean at the end of the lane #the graveyard book #neverwhere #american gods #norse mythology #many others I love #dark fantasy #charcoal #my art

[m-y--p-a-s-s-i-o-n-s]

Guys I'm going to see Neil Gaiman and the Fourplay String Quartet at the Sydney Opera house tonight! I'm so excited!!!

#neil gaiman #good omens #Sydney Opera house #neil gaiman and fourplay string quartet #fourplay string quartet

[prettybirdy979]

Neil Gaiman & FourPlay String Quartet (in Sydney)

So last night I was SUPER fortunate and got to go see Neil Gaiman and the FourPlay String Quartet at the Sydney Opera House. It was an amazing night, a two and a bit hour show that is a little hard to sum up as a show. 

So I’ve got some thoughts under the cut (Spoilers for anyone going to the Melbourne show, which will likely be the same or at least very similar). I’ve remembered as best I can but well, only human and there was a lot in a fairly long show

Before that though, some general non-spoilery thoughts:

The things the Quartet could make their instruments do was almost miraculous. Neil described them as a string quartet who is also a rock band and I fully saw that. They all had talent and it was an honour to see them perform live. I hadn’t realised that wasn’t a didgeridoo in one of the songs until I saw the cello perform. 

As you can see in the pics of the stage (none of Neil or the group since we weren’t allowed to take them and I wasn’t gonna break that rule) I was extremely close. Close enough I hear the seal on Neil’s water crack at the start. But they were set up to be visible to all. The show was also sold out

Neil himself was captivating. Everyone shut up to listen when he spoke, regardless of what he was saying. We also had a couple of hecklers but one was helping and the other handled with a sigh and moving on

Nearly every song that they performed, Neil explained how it had come to be either something they had written or something they performed. It was an interesting look into the songwriting process and even the processes of performing (and how much you can learn in thirty minutes

The way it was performed, most of the time Neil was reading words to music or having music performed while he read but at one point he did provide backing vocals for a song and actually sung four of them as the main vocalist

Neil said we were brave for coming, since he struggled to explain it and we all took a chance on coming. If you do ever get the chance to attend one of these shows, I recommend taking it. It was so worth it, i enjoyed every moment of it

The show was professionally recorded! So maybe one day we’ll get to see bits of it (or all of it) for people who couldn’t attend

Now for more specific (and possibly spoilery) thoughts:

They started the show with Clock, which Neil mentioned as one of the few songs they’d be performing tonight that he didn’t write (his exact words a little bit in was that the words were “nicked from Bill” as it’s Shakespeare’s Sonnet 12). Something I noted for a lot of the performance and specifically this song was how he kept his hands always gripped behind his back except when he was talking with them. 

Then talked about how the band met (at the Opera House fourteen years ago) and became friends. He then mentioned the poem he read on 26th January 2011 at the Opera House, which was backed in Tasmania by didgeridoo, which the cellist said he could copy. And thus they came full circle with the song Poem first read on January 26th 2011 at the Sydney Opera House. As mentioned above, the cellist was right

Next song was Mobius strip. Not much to say about this one except that it’s one of my favourites from the album and very gesture filled

So both Neil and the band did something solo, starting with the band. They performed Neverwhere, a song they wrote but named for a Neil novel (with his input) since they believed it belonged on the album

Bloody Sunrise was next, which if you’ve not seen the music video for you should. It’s the one Neil was backing vocals for and they had a vampire come out to play the glockenspiel and 'harrass' Neil for his blood (jokingly). I think the vampire in the show was the same person as the video but if not, she was a very close match. The vocalist for this is Lara Goodridge, from FourString and her voice is amazing 

Next up was a Batman poem which had Neil detail his relationship to Batman through the years while the band possibly improvised music? They mentioned having no safety net for it (which prompted a comment from one of them about Batman not having a safety net) so it was at least one of the lesser rehearsed pieces. The poem was very touching and ended on a note that made me shiver

Song of the song was next; I’m struggling to recall many thoughts about it other than I liked it and it was great to see live

Ended the first half on Psycho by Leon Payne, which Neil sung. Backstory of this one was that they hadn’t had an encore during their first tour so they’d learnt this in a hurry as the encore for Carnegie Hall. The song was great and violin managed to make truly upsetting sounding cords and it was awesome!

This song also prompted Neil to mention the well known joke about Carnegie Hall, which a heckler set up for him (How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice). Then one of the band members (Peter I think? I’m terrible with names) also made the joke about them having proved the joke wrong since their encore for it wasn't really practised but learnt in half an hour at lunch before the show. It’s a running theme

In the first half there was also a running joke performing at the Opera House then going to Tasmania (as you do, Neil said one time) because apparently Neil has done that multiple times

Second half opened with Neil’s solo thing, the reading of his short story Click-clack, The Rattle Bag which was apparently written while he was in Australia 10 years ago staying at someone's house. Partway through the story, as it got spooky, click clack noises were made and it ended on a hell of a note

The Wreckers followed. Neil mentioned it was a poem he’d written for someone very sad

Before the next song Neil mentioned liking our weather, which was miserable that day, because all the rain that falls in his home right now is soft and fluffy. This prompted the next song which he called Umbrella, which had him reading words to the music and had the band sing a chorus he also spoke. Not sure where the words are from but it was a good song

The second sung by Neil song of the night was one he said was written to be a 3am torch song, that used to sung to a bartender. But it’s updated for the modern era so it was called I Google You (which is what you do now when you're heartbroken)

After that was a song they said had never been performed before, only rehearsed. As backstory Neil mentioned the tale of two men (whose names I forget) who’d published a dictionary of well, rude slang in the late 1800s/early 1900s. Neil had gotten his hands on 2 volumes of it to begin with then a 10 volume version and the song, "To suck the sugar sick or up-tails-all" (I think, the second part of the title did not stick in my mind that well), was just various euphemisms for sleeping together used by the Victorians read to music. Including the two in the title! Lara did the vocals for those euphemisms related to women

Next two songs were Signs of a life, and then In Transit as the 'last song'  

Which of course it wasn't. They came out for an encore, with the words “Two songs and we all get to go home, that's the rule” (prompting a heckler to ask “To your home?”. Neil just sighed)

First encore was a song I didn’t recognise but is apparently Makin' Whoopee and was sung by Neil. Apparently not well rehearsed since Neil jumped the gun on the lyrics at one point and said 'clearly we need to rehearse more'

Ended with The Problem with Saints, which is a song he said he wrote during a session where they were trying for eight songs in eight hours and managed six in twelve. Neil implied this one was written at 4am and the only reason he’s the one who sung on whatever first album it's on it is because it was 4am when it was written and he didn't protest

And that was the show! It was a long night (not helped by public transport being its usual trackwork happy self) but an amazing one. Well worth seeing and I hope I’ve passed on some of the bits to you.

#Neil Gaiman #FourPlay String Quartet #Neil Gaiman & FourPlay String Quartet #sydney opera house #my life #long post #i got wordy and specific under the cut

[mattykelevra]

Neil Gaiman & FourPlay String Quartet

Signs of Life (2023) ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

#Neil Gaiman & FourPlay String Quartet #Neil Gaiman #FourPlay String Quartet

[macmanx]

Somewhen a boy is counting stars.  Somewhen a man is photographing light.  Somewhen his finger strokes the stubble on another’s cheek,  and for a moment everything is relative.

(pre-order the album)

#music #fourplay string quartet #poetry #neil gaiman #in transit #Bandcamp

[babalooist]

Hope the Melbourne show went well @neil-gaiman . On your way back to the cold and snowy?

#neil gaiman #fourplay string quartet #signs of life

[neil-gaiman]

The Wreckers

Deeply evocative and profoundly moving, poignantly exploring themes of life and death, grief and acceptance, The Wreckers is the haunting second single from Neil Gaiman & FourPlay String Quartet’s album Signs of Life, featuring a brand new and deeply stirring poem from Neil.

Neil brought this poem, written for a friend who had suffered a miscarriage, to a FourPlay rehearsal one day, asking if they’d like to set it to music. The band immediately set to work finding a musical expression to match the words. The music combines open harmonies with occasional, completely atonal clashes, creating a sense of space, to which Neil’s free verse - with its typical musicality - can breathe and find its own rhythm.

Fans of Neil Gaiman will revel in his narration of this stirring poem set to music which reflects and deepens the fragility and weight of these most human themes. Find out more: https://bio.to/NeilandFourPlay

#fourplay string quartet #The Wreckers #Youtube

[rpa-books]

i just saw neil gaiman and the fourplay string quartet in melbourne!! it was so good omg!!

i can’t believe i was in the same room as him— a massive room but still!

#AHHHHH #neil gaiman #fourplay string quartet #good omens

[bekmadethis]

Just letting you all know that Neil Gaiman and FourPlay delivered exactly the results you’d expect from giving five extremely skilled total goobers an internationally renowned stage to giggle on.

#neil gaiman #fourplay string quartet #sydney opera house #How did five people basically standing in a line the entire time manage to hypnotise me #fishing for trout in unfamiliar waters #it was excellent what the fuck was that #Batman

[vellichorius]

yesterday i saw neil gaiman and fourplay at the opera house in sydney...

legitimately the most moving concert i've been to... i had to fight back tears because i was wearing eyeliner ( crying now to make up for it )

genuinely it was incredible, i met kathy lette, who told me my outfit was wonderful, she was so very kind !

it was an incredible evening, and i'll take it with me everywhere i go.

@neil-gaiman @fourplaysq thank you eternally <3

#everyone was so nice there too #i got so many compliments and i'm still feeling chuffed #and i got an autographed cd which was cheaper than a lot of the regular cds i buy #which is so weird but i'm considering myself to be lucky #fourplay string quartet #sydney opera house #truly an incredible night #performance

[melody-chii]

if you have the opportunity, i strongly recommend you go see neil gaiman vibe with fourplay live onstage. idk how to explain it in clear terms (my one friend who did know said: neil reads poetry and stories to music and sometimes sings which does not actually explain it) but if you go in with no expectations, it will somehow still perfectly meet expectations!

just imagine someone, anyone, who spends a disproportionate amount of time on tumblr (proportionate = 0 to 0.25 hours per month so anything more than that) is given leave — or, not only leave but is in fact paid a lot of money from ticket and merch sales — to take their mutuals onstage with them to perform to a hostage audience for up to three (3) hours. they clearly have absolute creative freedom and what they want to do is show off things they wrote/made/composed/etc over their lifetime. no shame allowed and anything goes but they gotta fill that time and also do 1+ encore(s). and they did.

so that was the energy. also i could imagine a tumblr account for everyone present, audiences and otherwise.

anyway, strongly recommend! what a vibe.

#outside of the review #this is a self-own #i have 3 Ls in my full name and i deserve all of them #also have a capital W that is also entirely deserved #but yes #neil gaiman #fourplay string quartet #the vibe was immaculate #saw someone with elf ears on and someone else had dream’s bug helmet #neil gaiman spent 5+ minutes on batman #fourplay did a gorgeous piece called neverwhere #highkey recommend #review #this was the nerdiest thing i’ve experienced in a while #missed this energy in my life

[xwhenthestarscollidex]

seeing neil gaiman tomorrow!!

anyone else gonna be there?🖤

#good omens #neil gaiman #neil gaiman what are you doing in my falafel #concert #fourplay string quartet