Under the name NOISY SILENT FILM CLUB I’ve been bringing electronic sound to silent cinema.
Photographer: Laura Sampson
So far for this project I’ve always teamed up with Ark Potyka, who plays bass, guitar and other noise machines. I play found sounds and my unique instrument from the dawn of electronic music – the theremin. Live, from minimal elements (and no laptops) we conjure up a richly atmospheric soundworld, helping audiences find new life and meaning in some of the world’s finest old films.
As Ark was unavailable on Saturday 4th May 2024 I performed a live soundtrack solo for the first time, for a unique screening of Sergei Eisenstein‘s thunderous and thrilling 1925 debut feature film STRIKE at The All Good Bookshop. A recording is available on Bandcamp now.
Previously our most recent live soundtrack was at The ArtHouse Cinema in Crouch End for a screening of the fabulous, haunting Swedish seasonal tale of damnation and redemption from 1921, The Phantom Carriage.
Along with our takes on The Cat and the Canary, The Passion of Joan of Arc, The Phantom of the Opera, A Page of Madness, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Man With A Movie Camera, The Epic of Everest and Nosferatu – a live recording is also available now on the Sinister Masterplan Bandcamp Page.
We’ve also soundtracked Metropolis, Pandora’s Box, The Lodger, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, Battleship Potemkin and Filibus – the latter three also at the Arthouse Cinema.
As well as via Bandcamp you can also listen to a selection of our soundtracks at the NOISY SILENT FILM CLUB Soundcloud page.