Do you know what it feels like to have been kept in the dark about something? I’m guessing you do. That sense of not-knowing, of being blissfully unaware that a cacophony of noise is swirling around you, like an intensifying sonic vortex – but, standing in the eye of the storm, you hear nothing;
until…
For a little context, I was fortunate enough to attend In The Dark, last year, when the ensemble performed at St Andrews, in Holborn. I was blown away, so when I was invited to attend again, I did not merely jump, I leapt – like a Crufts’ prize-winning pooch – at the opportunity.
One potential problem with having previously attended, is that now I had both expectations and a comparative baseline. I’m aware the hefty weight of my expectations would likely send shivers into the performer’s boots – if they wore them – but, thankfully, they don’t, instead opting for anti-slip socks that I may buy a pair of, because I didn’t hear one single footstep, never mind a tumble or total wipeout.
*Spoiler alert – I needn’t have worried*
It’s a challenge to truly articulate how it feels to be still within an historic, colossal and cavernous stone space, where sound is not only amplified, the texture rich and thick, and the reverb level is, well, godly – yet you can still identify and isolate each individual instrument with bat-like precision.
Research estimates that roughly 80 – 90% of external data processed by the brain comes through visual stimulus. Roughly 70% of all sensory receptors in the human body are located in the eyes, and nearly half of the human brain is dedicated to processing visual information – with hearing coming in second. So what happens when you remove our single most important sense?
This is where In The Dark’s USP, aka a luxurious black blindfold, comes into its own – in addition to the virtuoso musicians, of course.
In the spirit of being blindfolded, this feels like a good place to end – after all, I wouldn’t want to give you a glimpse into what you can expect.
To my fellow Londoners, In The Dark’s newest show, Pulse, is set to hit a church near you soon and to my broader British buddies, their sellout show, Hush, will be touring across the South and West. I’ll be going back again, hope to see – or rather hear – you there.
Victoria Russell
For more info visit https://www.in-the-dark.com/pulse-tour