100 YEARS AGO in June 1914, the Futurists came from Italy to amaze London with their “Art of Noises,” undertaking a two week residency at the London Coliseum, the biggest variety theatre in Europe. They shared the bill with acrobats, popular singers, stand up comedians, early cinematic works, and a wide range of novelty acts. Their performances were summarily dismissed by all and sundry as setting new standards for irremediable rubbish. A century on, it is surely time to celebrate the Futurists' towering achievement!

For this centenary concert, we've gone back to the blueprints and built an ensemble of intonarumori – the noise-generating instruments created by Luigi Russolo and Ugo Piatti. Hand made by sound artist Peter McKerrow and engineer David Baldwin, with design advice by composer and researcher Dan Wilson (Resonance's Sound & Music-supported “Embedded” artist in residence), the intonarumori are acoustic, crank-handle operated instruments through which the Futurists wished to articulate the splendours of the modern urban environment - and once and for all abolish the musical canon as having run its course and exhausted its appeal. “The Art of Noises” emphatically placed the listener's ear at the heart of the creative process, over-turning centuries of perceived notions of what constituted musical composition and ushering in the era of the virtuoso consumer. Our era.

An unparalleled iconoclastic act, an elaborately tedious joke, a reactionary act of cultural vandalism, a classic 20th century avant-garde gambit, a myopic aesthetic dead end, the last word in Italian organ grinding, the irrefutable foundation stone of contemporary sonic art, the worst variety act in history, the most important concert of all time – all these and more, the only way to experience “The Art of Noises” is to come to this performances. (Note: there will not be another centenary.)

The Luigi Russolo Memorial Ensemble is directed by BASCA Sonic Arts Composer of the Year, Ed Baxter. Special guests include Adam Bushell (percussion), Sarah Angliss (theremin), Aleks Kolkowski (vintage horns, sound effects and playback devices) and Jerzy Bielski (voice). The concert will also feature short contextual talks by Dan Wilson and Ed Baxter – and a highly collectable souvenir newspaper!