If you thought Vincent and the Van Goghs had peaked with their rooftop National Gallery show, you clearly underestimated their taste for the spectacular. Last night, London’s most art-historically inclined rock outfit set up shop beneath the towering blue whale skeleton in the Natural History Museum’s Hintze Hall.
It was an audacious choice of venue, but then again, this is the band that once closed a set with a medieval rap about tapestry conservation, so predicting what they will do next is not easy. The vast stone arches and marble staircases turned their mix of indie, swing, and Gregorian beats into something cathedral-like. Even the whale seemed to be swaying gently to the rhythm.
They opened with Rothko in Red Minor, a slow-burner that built from whispered chant to full-blown gospel swing, echoing so richly off the walls that it felt like the museum itself was singing. Safah Pulle’s drumming reverberated through the dinosaur galleries, sending T. Rex skeletons into silent headbangs. Armani Suoff alternated between bass and triangle, the latter ringing out like some prehistoric ritual bell. Edward Grunt, tambourine in hand, prowled the floor like a man about to auction off the moon.
Mid-set highlights included Pointillist Heartbeat, an intricate, staccato number that felt like Seurat had written a funk track, and Cave Painting Disco, which somehow merged tribal rhythms, synth bass, and a Gregorian chant.
The encore, Fossil Funk, was an all-out groove fest, with the band joined by an impromptu conga line of museum staff, art world friends, and a surprisingly enthusiastic man dressed as Charles Darwin. The crowd roared, the whale loomed above, and somewhere in the corner a Triceratops skull seemed to approve.
Vincent and the Van Goghs have a knack for turning any space into an immersive art-and-music installation. Last night, they didn’t just play a gig, they made the Natural History Museum feel like the liveliest gallery in town.
Rating: ★★★★★
For fans of: Art history puns, unusual acoustics, and using a blue whale skeleton as a disco ball.
