Entropies: The Harvest

Inspired by Sheida Kiran’s BBC documentary Harvesting Turkey’s Tea (2022), the performance draws audiences into the hills of Turkey’s Black Sea coast where, for centuries, women have picked tea on steep slopes. Much of what they earned has traditionally been handed to their husbands, and while older women hope to preserve this way of life, a younger generation is turning away, leaving the industry’s future uncertain. This evening will be presented by Entropies – a cinematic musical project documenting human stories through live sound and moving image. Blending songs composed for lead-vocalist Sheida’s films with new writing, they weave ambient pop, neo-classical textures and traditional folk influences into a filmic score. Their debut EP, The Harvest, will be performed live for the first time in this special release concert. Supported by Help Musicians and the Bert Jansch Foundation, the performance will layer field recordings, video portraits and live instrumentation. The result is an immersive concert, inviting audiences to go beyond language, seeing the world and hearing the stories of tea-picking women. With special guest Greta Thompson. ‘The band sounded great… such a great mixture of instruments…violin, cello, keys, percussion, amazing vocals…they were really interesting.’ John Kennedy (Radio DJ, Host of Tape Notes), on Radio X’s ‘X-Posure Show’ ‘….all the emotions beautifully accentuated with at time soaring, and at times gentle strings and ethereal and powerful vocals and piano. I’m looking forward to listening to their EP, which comes out later.’

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