In a sonic flash that feels both fleeting and eternal, Adjunct Ensemble’s ‘How Dare You Be Free!’ emerges as a six-minute sorcerous effort – a masterful act of improvisational conjuring featured on the forthcoming Habits Of Assembly – Live At Café OTO.
Under the direction of fêted Belfast composer and musician Jamie Thompson, whose radical improvisational instincts are matched by his uncompromising political commentary, the project assembled a world-class lineup: Stephen Davis on drums, John Pope on bass, Sam Comerford on tenor sax, and Thompson himself on piano and electronics.
Recorded live at the legendary Café OTO, their session transforms three days of intense improvisation into a blistering statement of musical and political defiance. Condensing the expansive narrative of Thompson’s sweeping anti-opera, Sovereign Bodies / Ritual Taxonomy, into a new masterclass, it’s a peak-heavy performance set to be released as a ten-track album via Touch Sensitive on August 30th.
Today, we’re thrilled to present a premiere of an outright highlight, ‘How Dare You Be Free!’ What elevates it beyond the already supreme interplay of Thompson and his collaborators is Nigerian-Irish poet, performer, and playwright Felispeaks. In just six all-too-short minutes, she brings her own spellwork through vocals that serve as a watercourse for collective grief and defiant solidarity, transforming this performance into a profound channel for resistance. Set against the backdrop of escalating Palestinian suffering and relentless displacements across Sudan and Syria, it’s a fully charged cry.
Throughout Habits Of Assembly, Thompson and his ensemble weave magic that feels suspended like moments of sudden, sharp illumination. But this magic is born from deep-set despair, rendered here as defiant resistance amid a year of escalating crises. Highlights like opener ‘Communal Refusal’ offer a powerful narrative of survival and solidarity, directly challenging the capitalist structures fueling endless war and ecological devastation. “We refuse to make ourselves believable in the eyes of Capitalism,” the Ensemble proclaims – a potent indictment and rallying cry underscored by their performance.
‘How Dare You Be Free!’ is accompanied by a video by Belfast audio-visual master Barry Cullen, featuring live visuals by Conan McIvor. Have a first look and listen below.
Habits Of Assembly – Live At Café OTO is released by Touch Sensitive next Friday, 30th August. Pre-order it here
