Sir Mick Jagger has narrated a new short film celebrating The Royal Albert Hall’s 150th anniversary, entitled: Your Room Will Be Ready.
Directed by Tom Harper (This is England ’86, The Borrowers, Peaky Blinders) and scored by Academy Award-winning composer Steven Price (Gravity, The Lord Of The Rings, Batman Begins), the beautifully shot clip features archive footage of artists including Adele, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie Mercury, Iggy Pop, Florence & The Machine and Led Zeppelin all performing at the iconic London venue, interspersed with poignant images of the empty concert hall, along with with more than 40 pieces of historical event footage dating back to 1933.
“Without doubt the Royal Albert Hall is one of the greatest concert venues in the world and so I was delighted to be asked to read a short poem by WH Auden as part of this excellent short film by Tom Harper.” Jagger says of the clip. “I have some wonderful memories of performing there with the Rolling Stones in the 1960s when once or twice it did get a bit wild, with enthusiastic fans joining us onstage and almost bringing the show to an abrupt end – but we soldiered on and had a great time.”
‘Your Room Will Be Ready’, a Royal Albert Hall film narrated by Mick Jagger
“I have desperately missed live performance – there is something electric and fundamentally human about the shared experience of being in a room surrounded by other people, part of an audience.” Director Tom Harper adds. “The Royal Albert Hall is a magnificent building even when it’s empty, but what makes it truly special is the connection it fosters through those shared experiences. That is what this film is about; not only a celebration of performances from the Hall’s glorious past, but also the sense of anticipation of some of the things to look forward to when we can be together again.”
Your Room Will Be Ready is the first in the beginning of a long line of events planned to celebrate the Royal Albert Hall’s 150th anniversary, which will now extend into 2022 and include a new staging by the choreographer Matthew Bourne of his show The Car Man, headline performances by Patti Smith, Gregory Porter, Brian Wilson and Alfie Boe, as well as a series of live showcases to promote the next generation of talent.
