The Blackheart Orchestra

The Blackheart Orchestra play Hanger Farm Arts Centre on Sunday 11 October, starting at 7:30pm. It's a duo — Chrissy Mostyn and Rick Pilkington — and they're the two people behind everything you'll hear. They call their sound folktronica, which is a fair way of putting it: they weave acoustic fragility into pulsing electronica, 80s synthesizers, and classical influences. It's the kind of music that sits somewhere between a folk song and a dance floor, and they've built a whole career around that middle ground.

One of the things that catches people out is how much they actually do on stage. They're often mistaken for an eight-piece, but they play a huge range of instruments themselves: electric and acoustic guitars, bowed guitar, piano, organ, bass, electronic percussion, vintage synthesizers, omnichord, and melodica. They work through them in a choreographed weave of moods and textures, so the sound changes as they move from one to the next. At the heart of it are Mostyn's haunting vocals and Pilkington's multi-instrumental playing, which has been compared to Mike Oldfield for the way he layers things.

They've released four critically acclaimed albums, and their music has found its way into TV commercials and films. Critics have drawn comparisons to Kate Bush, Ellie Goulding, London Grammar, Pink Floyd, Steve Reich, and Ludovico Einaudi — a wide spread that covers art-pop, ambient, and modern classical. They've toured the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, so this is a well-travelled act coming to a local stage.

Tickets start from £14, and the night kicks off at 7:30pm at Hanger Farm Arts Centre, Aikman Lane, SO40 8FT, Southampton.