Björk included a message from environmental campaigner Greta Thunberg in her London show yesterday evening.
Björk, who brought her Cornucopia Tour to London’s O2 following its debut in New York City earlier this year, played a message from Thunberg during the show and projected the words “Imagine a future. Be in it” across the stage.
In what one fan described as “a lush, breathtaking show filled with important messages about the environment,” Björk played songs from ‘Cornucopia’ alongside a sting quartet, choir and flute ensemble. She also included some of her older hits including ‘Isobel’ and ‘Venus as a Boy.’
You can see some images and video from the set below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuP5P88HV50
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Wow, that was good!! @bjork brought her #Cornucopia tour to the @TheO2 in her “second home” of London last night and the (environmental) message was loud and clear. And while the focus as ever was on the new, she still found space for ‘Venus As A Boy’ and ‘Isobel.’ “Flutes rock!” pic.twitter.com/hPCcs4LXtR
— Ralph Moore (@RalphusMoorus) November 20, 2019
- READ MORE: Giant orchids, dancing flautists and singing stamen: Björk’s All Points East set reviewed
Björk recently announced that she would be releasing a new box set of ‘Utopia’, which will come with a set of 14 handmade birdcall flutes. The album was originally released in 2017 and formed the basis for her current stage show.
In a statement, Björk explained the idea behind the new box set’s unusual accompaniment: “utopia is so much about birdsong and sonically the mutation between synth/bird, bird/flute, flute/synth…….” she wrote. “air like that was a theme through all of the album. so i got very excited when i found these handmade wooden flutes imitating precisely particular birds. and i guess wanted you guys to have an opportunity to share that with me.”
In other news, Björk, Fever Ray and The Knife all remixed each other on a new 12″ earlier this month. The new vinyl was released via One Little Indian Records on November 1.
For the new release, Björk has remixed Fever Ray’s 2017 track ‘This Country’, using its refrain of “this country makes it hard to fuck” as its title and repeated motif. Fever Ray and The Knife, meanwhile, have come up with their own versions of Björk track ‘Features Creatures’, which appeared on her 2017 album ‘Utopia’.
In a four-star review of ‘Utopia’ upon its release in 2017, NME wrote: “‘Utopia’ is where art, real life and deep experimentation intersects, and it’s utterly compelling.