Underworld are set to take part in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
After years of planning, building, press attention and public appeals the Olympic Games are almost here. Set to be held in London, the enormous sporting event kicks off in just six months time.
The opening ceremony will be watched by countless millions across the globe, with Danny Boyle being installed as the artistic director.
Calling in a few favours, the director has managed to get Underworld to craft music for the opening ceremony. Issuing a statement, producer Karl Hyde was clearly looking forward to the project: “We want to leave people with a musical memory of the show rather than a purely visual one. It’s a great honour to be asked to do this and one we’re taking very seriously – it’s certainly not something we’ll get the chance to do again.”
Underworld, of course, have a long standing connection to Danny Boyle. The duo donated a re-worked version of a lesser regard B-side to one of the director’s early films. The track? ‘Born Slippy’. The film? ‘Trainspotting’.
Keeping in touch, the production duo recently assisted Danny Boyle on a new version of the classic gothic horror ‘Frankenstein’.
Looking ahead, Danny Boyle is clearly relishing the challenge placed in front of him. “Appointing Underworld to direct the music in the Olympic opening ceremony is the final piece of the jigsaw for the team of leading British creatives who will deliver the ceremonies.
“What’s interesting about working with them is how much broader their taste is than you might imagine. With Frankenstein we really saw how far we could take a broader approach than we’d used together on the films.”
Underworld aren’t the only act to be getting involved in the Olympics. Elbow have agreed to write a song for the BBC’s credits, with the completed track due to be consumed by millions around the country.
The opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games takes place on June 27th.
