Penguin Cafe have announced a headline London show at the Barbican on 27 September 2020.

Having last performed at the Barbican in 2016 as part of Nils Frahm’s Possibly Colliding event, Penguin Cafe return in 2020 for their very own show, with Arthur Jeffes and his talented array of musicians bringing the effervescent sound of Penguin Cafe to one of London’s premiere venues.

In 2019 The Penguin Cafe released the critically acclaimed immersive album Handfuls Of Night, inspired by Arctic exploration released on Erased Tapes. Using gut-stringed violins, viola, cello, bass, percussion, upright and grand pianos, synthesiser, harmonium and more, they crafted a vivid series of panoramic sonic landscapes, as rich in cerebral poignancy as they are in emotional depth.

Musician, composer, and producer Jeffes studied archaeology at Cambridge University, before embarking on an expedition to the Arctic Circle in 2005, a trip that inspired him to pursue his Master of Music degree and ultimately form Penguin Cafe.

Penguin Cafe Orchestra was an avant-pop group led by Simon Jeffes from 1972 until his untimely death in 1997. The group developed an entirely unique sound, combining elements of folk, classical, and minimalism to create a distinctive style that found fans in the likes of ambient pioneer Brian Eno and continues to appear in films and TV to this day.

Intent on continuing the legacy of the iconic group, 2008 saw Arthur follow in the footsteps of his father, bringing together a brand new line-up to keep the classic PCO sound alive.

Several albums of original music followed including A Matter Of Life… in 2008, The Red Book in 2014, and The Imperfect Sea in 2017. More recently, 2018 saw the group perform all across Europe, with a special show in support of Greenpeace at EartH.

2020 has seen the band complete a European tour in January, with Arthur continuing his work with Greenpeace, promoting their Protect The Ocean campaign by composing the soundtrack for special film Turtles Journey.

Last updated: February, 2020

Penguin Cafe Tickets

at Barbican Centre

1 Upcoming Events

United Kingdom