Antidote
The Victoria Theatre's unique and experimental music programme
Antidote is a programme of artistes that see things from a slightly different point of view, for audiences who like to challenge their understanding of live music and features some of the UK's finest performers. Each event is unique and guest curated by Andy Abbott of ADRA Promotions.
The May 2025 event features Emergence Collective, Dean McPhee and John Haycock.
Show starts at 7pm. Event finished by 9:30pm.
This event takes place in the Victoria Theatre Green Room Bar. Seating is limited, please arrive early to be assured of a seat.
Please note there is no wheelchair access to the Green Room Bar and circle level at the Victoria Theatre. But there is an alternative entrance with fewer steps for people with severe mobility issues - please inform the box office at the time of booking if you would like to use the alternative entrance.
Emergence Collective builds beautiful, minimalist sound worlds that gradually evolve through improvised performance. Featuring a revolving line-up and a vibrant mix of ancient and modern instruments, the ensemble brings together exciting combinations of the North’s finest improvisors. Drawing on their collective musical backgrounds in experimental, folk, electronic, classical and early music, they generate a hypnotic, otherworldly kaleidoscope of sound, completely unique to every live performance and every space they perform in.
Their improvisations are informed by the environment they are created in, a space’s history and sonic properties. They often play in unusual and unconventional environments, which have included a disused cinema's fly tower, cathedrals, an abandoned warehouse, and a Tudor house.
The ensemble is directed by Juliana Day (recorders/whistles), Rob Bentall (nyckelharpa) and Zebedee C. Budworth (hammered dulcimer). Founded in 2019, the project was developed through improvising sessions between the three directors and guitarist Tim Knowles, initially working as a quartet before growing into its current configuration.
The group has played at and sold out venues throughout the UK, released several albums, and run practical and accessible workshops exploring their creative process.
"Beautifully subtle yet hypnotic performance of stripped back improvised minimalism" - The Guardian
“Enthralling, gorgeous, mysterious and mesmerising… immerse yourself in the realm of their magic” - Cast The Dice
“Dislodged from time, fragments of older and folkier traditions seep into contemporary ones in their compositions with seamless grace, ornate patterns ambling through the reverberant space they're enclosed in” - The Quietus
“Flutes intermingle with gently plucked strings, toots of baritone sax float above ripples of percussion, while dreamy vocals coalesce with the distinct and engulfing tones of the hammer dulcimer and the nyckelharpa. It’s remarkably measured and considered music given it is being birthed in real time” - Loud & Quiet
“..astonishingly beautiful. The moods develop organically, and the structures are so clearly defined.” - Twisted Soul Music
Dean McPhee plays a Fender Telecaster through a valve amp and subwoofer with kick drum and effects, and he is influenced by Dub, Modal Jazz, British Folk, Underground Electronic Music and Psychedelic Rock. A self-taught musician with a fluid technique and an inventive approach to sound, his music is melodic, hypnotic and trance-inducing with a deep sense of space.
Dean has toured the UK and Europe and opened for artists such as Thurston Moore, The Magic Band, Acid Mothers Temple, Michael Chapman, Meg Baird, Michael Hurley, Josephine Foster, Emeralds, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, Charalambides and Wolf People. His music has received international radio play and has been acclaimed by the likes of MOJO Magazine, The Wire Magazine, Dusted, Louder than War, Uncut Magazine, Brainwashed and The Quietus.
“At any given time, there are always a handful of visionary guitarists who carve out their own compelling and distinctive niche, as well as many more who exhibit virtuosic technique or write consistently great songs. McPhee’s work checks off all three of those boxes, but his greatest moments reach another plane altogether where it feels like he is channeling something much deeper, more timeless, and almost supernatural"(Anthony D'Amico, Brainwashed)
“Set within an electric ancestry that includes Michael Karoli’s solos in Can, the hymnal rock of Popol Vuh’s Daniel Fichelscher and the sonic spaciousness of dub, as well as the emotional punch of John Martyn’s dawn-lit Echoplex epic, ‘Small Hours’.” (Frances Morgan, The Quietus)
"Definitely one of the leading contemporary guitar stylists in the UK, and in the world" (Steve Barker, BBC ‘On the Wire’)
John Haycock’s musical inquisitiveness has led him to embrace the fusion of electronic and woodwind elements in his compositions and live performances to create captivating and emotive soundscapes.
Influenced by luminaries of ambient music and minimalism as well as the improvisational nature of spiritual jazz, John's compositions evoke contemplative and ethereal atmospheres, featuring dub-inflections that add a hypnotic and meditative quality.
John's musical journey began with his debut release "Honey Mango//'In a Bloopy Mood," A digital EP with accompanying 7 inch, supported by the Steve Reid Foundation and crafted in collaboration with Emanative and Sarathy Korwar. Next came "Didymus" a collaboration with former Cinematic Orchestra member John Ellis, released on Limefield Records.
Most recently "Dorian Portrait." the debut solo LP released on Second Thoughts Records. This album has had support from influential music industry figures such Maryanne Hobbs, Ruf Dug, Ross Allen and more. Esteemed DJ Luke Una describes it as "an extraordinary moment of astral perfection."
Beyond his studio work, John is a seasoned live performer who has graced the stages of renowned events such as WOMAD, How The Light Gets In, Manchester International Festival, Manchester Jazz Festival, and many more.
His commitment to musical craftsmanship and genre-blurring creativity has established him as a respected figure at the crossroads of contemporary world music and experimental soundscapes.
Tickets
* Ticket prices include a Theatre Support Fee when booking via our Box Office and online. No other charges are applied.
