This was a very special gig. In the Nursery performing their soundtrack composition for the 1920’s German silent movie “The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari” live to the movie screening, in the surrounds of the very elegant Hampstead Everyman cinema.

The movie is considered a masterpiece of German Expressionist cinema. Visually it’s stunning with landscapes and buildings leaning and twisting in unusual angles, streaks of light painted on, and a generally very dark and twisted style. the film is about an insane hypnotist who makes sleepwalkers commit murders for him. The film runs for 74 minutes and is probably one of the most famous German early cinematic releases.

Silent movies were often accompanied by a pianist or other musicians during their screenings. In this instance In The Nursery were set up slightly off to the right of the screen and played their score live as the film was shown.

It was a fantastic experience and really made me wish more bands created new soundtracks for the old silent movies and played them live – it would have been a great new movement and one I’d have jumped on. But alas, it wasn’t to be so I have had to settle for memories of a fantastic occasion that I was lucky enough to have caught.