Christopher Nolan‘s mind-bending thriller Memento is set to receive a unique new interpretation this August, with King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard drummer Michael “Cavs” Cavanagh performing an entirely original live score to accompany the film in Sydney.
Taking place for one night only at City Recital Hall on Saturday, August 29th, the latest instalment of the Hear My Eyes series will see Cavanagh perform a percussion-driven soundtrack live as Memento unfolds on screen. Performing across three separate drum stations, his score has been designed to mirror the film’s fractured structure and psychological intensity, offering audiences a fresh way to experience Christopher Nolan’s celebrated neo-noir.
For Hear My Eyes founder and creative director Haydn Green, Memento proved to be the ideal project after years of wanting to collaborate with Cavanagh on a percussion-focused performance.
“We’ve been talking about a percussion-focused project since our collaboration on Suspiria, but it’s hard to find the right film,” Green said. “After spending a lot of time with Memento, I knew it was perfect.”
“I love the conceptual alignment. Memento is a film about one mind trying to piece itself together, and having one virtuoso build the entire score live in front of an audience mirrors that beautifully. There’s a real Birdman energy to it as well – one drummer carrying the whole thing, all that intensity and immediacy.”
The event continues Hear My Eyes’ growing reputation for pairing cult and classic films with bespoke live musical performances, with previous presentations including Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Hellraiser and Chopper.
Released in 2000, Memento stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a man living with short-term memory loss who uses notes, photographs and tattoos to pursue the person he believes murdered his wife. Co-starring Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano, the film earned two Academy Award nominations and remains one of Nolan’s defining early works.
More than 25 years later, Memento continues to captivate audiences with its reverse-chronological storytelling, and this latest Hear My Eyes presentation promises to make one of modern cinema’s most innovative films feel startlingly new again.
For ticket information head to the official site here.
