Despite having worked together on several projects down the years - starting with their 1983 collaboration with Daniel Lanois on the soundtrack to For All Mankind, a documentary about the Apollo moon landings - it was only in August 2021 that brothers Brian and Roger Eno finally took to the stage together.
Their special performance took place at a pretty special venue, too: the Odeon of Herodes Atticus amphitheatre, which is part of the UNESCO World heritage site of the Acropolis in Athens. The full concert is set to premiere at cinemas across the UK on 2 March, but you can now get your first taste of it with the release of the Enos’ performance of Celeste, a track from their 2020 album, Mixing Colours.
The concert also featured other songs from said album, alongside solo pieces, fan favourites and new music that eventually appeared on Brian Eno’s FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE and Roger Eno’s Deutsche Grammophon solo debut, The Turning Year, both of which were released in 2022.
Other members of the band include Cecily Eno, Roger’s daughter and Brian’s niece, who sang and played ukulele and mandolin, as well as Leo Abrahams on guitar and Peter Chilvers on keyboards.
"I don’t perform live very often, but I couldn’t miss the chance to perform in what may be the world’s oldest theatre, located at the birthplace of Western Civilisation,” says Brian Eno. “I’m grateful to Roger, Cecily, Leo and Peter who made this rare appearance memorable for me, and to the great film-maker Tilo Krause who managed to make a beautiful documentation of the whole event.”
"The performers had quite a different view to the members of the audience - they saw Brian’s stunning visuals on the ancient walls of Odeon of Herodes Atticus, whilst we saw, above our heads, the illuminated Parthenon as though floating in the blackness of night,” recalls Roger Eno.
“It was an exceptional honour to perform in such a place. This film, I think, captures the moment accurately and sensitively. But it is more than a mere momento or a document - it is a work of beauty in itself that can now be shared worldwide.”
For tickets to screenings of the full film - Brian Eno and Roger Eno Live At The Acropolis - head to CinemaLive.
“I haven’t been able to see the performance, but I have enjoyed it”: Elton John tells audience at Devil Wears Prada premiere that he’s lost his sight
“I did a demo. I had Sheila E playing on it and Michael sang on it. I played it for Quincy and he said, ‘No.’”: Greg Phillinganes on the Michael Jackson song arrangement that Quincy Jones rejected because it wasn't "sexy" enough
