Leftfield pops answer to Stephen Sondheim, Stephin Merritt has been called one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th and 21st centuries.
And to celebrate his 50th birthday, Stephin has created a brand new set of 50 songs " one for each year of his existence. In this magical mystery tour through Merritts life " from the Vietnam War to New Romantics in London, from painful medical conditions to his ups and downs in love " some things are true, others less than true. He divides the 50 numbers in his50 Song Memoiracross two separate concerts.
Merritt is the master craftsman behind US indie band The Magnetic Fields, whose epic 1999 triple album69 Love Songshas been described as one of the great songwriting feats of the 20th century. He is joined on stage by a specially expanded Magnetic Fields septet, in a spectacular staging featuring 50 years of artifacts " both musical and decorative: from vintage computers and reel-to-reel tape decks through to a tiki bar and vintage magazines for the persual of idle musicians.
The advertised time is approximately when the performance will start. Doors will open at least 30 mins prior to this time.
Merritt has been called the Cole Porter of our time
BBC News
a surreal masterwork
The Observer
