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Thin City
Music takes off

Last year Transport for London began experimenting with playing classical music outside Tube stations in order to deter those groups of Handel-hating hoodies who were causing them so much trouble.

Now if that last sentence makes you think that everyone at London Underground must be as mad as a bag of bees, then you might well be right. However, there may be one last bastion of common sense and (dare we say it) taste to hang your last shred of hope on.

The Tube's arty division, Platform for Art, have been churning out experimental and innovative work for years but their latest project, Thin Cities, is the most ambitious yet. Organised to celebrate the centenary of the Piccadilly Line, it includes a website, site-specific performances, and even specially commissioned oyster card holders.

Right now you should be looking out for Guy Bar Amotz's sculptural PA systems on your daily commute. These gothic speaker stacks have been designed to commemorate legendary

musicians such as John Fahey and Thelonious Monk and they'll be touring Tube stations channelling the music of specially chosen performers up until the middle of March.

And that has to beat hearing 'Streets of London' banged out on a badly tuned acoustic guitar for the millionth time, doesn't it?

Guy Bar Amotz at Heathrow T4 today 1-4pm. Check the Thin Cities website for all performances

by RH
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