Icebreaker: Apollo

Four stars

Brighton Dome, Brighton, Sunday, July 21

THE audience was humming with excitement as Icebreaker took to the stage, and with a thunderous cacophony the performance erupted.

I am glad they provided earplugs.

Having a love and appreciation for Brian Eno’s Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks I was expecting a gentler intro to the evening, but once I had recovered my senses from the bombardment I grew to appreciate these contemporary if challenging pieces of art too.

A show of two halves then, with stark contrast.

I closed my eyes for the quieter track The Archangel Trip and images and sensations emerged, evocatively conjuring the beauty of Arctic icescapes and the tones of deep ice meeting ice underwater. Fascinating.

This performance of the full album Apollo, alongside Al Reinhert’s film, marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.

Using original footage and a gorgeous, textural, ambient soundtrack to convey the mystery and awe of space exploration, the show is very moving.

I had a moment of feeling insignificant and full of wonder as I saw our home planet Earth from space.

And hearing the ethereal piece An Ending (Ascent) performed live will always remain with me. I am listening to it as I type. Very beautiful.

Enna Andrews