Shoppers in Wincanton are being greeted by some unusual creations in the high street...

From Glastonbury to Wincanton: Chemical Brothers stage show exhibition comes to town…

Paul JonesOctober 17, 20230 Comment0

GLASTONBURY, the O2, Wincanton…

It’s an unexpected tour itinerary but one that is happening for parts of big-beat legends The Chemical Brothers‘ renowned stage shows.

Costume designer Kate Tabor has taken up residence in the town – at the former Jerry’s Electrical store in the Market Place to be precise – and is exhibiting some of her creations, which were part of visual displays for the dance duo’s stage productions and videos.

The display is a collaboration between maker Kate and Chemical Brothers production team, Adam Smith and Marcus Lyall – better known as Smith & Lyall.

So it is, you can now sit and watch in wonder as Wincanton shoppers stop in their tracks, confronted by two enormous, rubber costumes – like a pair of pink, melted Michelin Men – staring at them from a seemingly nondescript shopfront.

Two imposing – and pink – costumes greet shoppers passing the display in Wincanton

“It’s funny to sit and watch people, particularly at night,” says Kate.

Entitled Music Responses 001, the exhibition is the culmination of a journey not only for the costumes but for the designer herself, who has returned to her rural roots in Somerset, after more than a decade in London.

Kate is the needle and thread that helps stitch together ideas and themes dreamed up by design gurus Adam and Marcus – who are behind the visual delights of acts ranging from Metallica to The Streets.

She has worked with them on Chemical Brothers shows for nine years.

“I met Adam and told him I was a maker,” says the former Strode College student. “And he told me they were looking to take The Chemical Brothers’ visuals to another level.

“That’s how it started, and it’s been nine years now.”

But I can’t stop asking – why Wincanton?

“I come from a big farming family in Keinton Mandeville,” she explains. “I was based in London for 12 years, but now, I’ve come back here.

“I’ve never had a shopfront before, so I thought, ‘What can I do with it?’

“And I really like Wincanton. It’s not Bruton or Frome, I just really like it.”

The result is a display of pieces which have played a part in some of the most iconic and revered music videos and live shows of the last decade.

The Chemical Brothers – and Kate’s creations – have performed for millions of people all over the world, from headline sets at nearby Glastonbury, to the arenas and stadiums of the US, Japan and Australia.

From the unforgettable face of the angry, dystopian royal of the MAH video, to the Manga-tinged superhero fun of Eve of Destruction, it is all on show in Wincanton.

Kate’s creations have been part of Chemical Brothers shows and videos for almost a decade

Some of the pieces – for they are works of art – such as the box-bearing outfits used for visuals during live shows, have previously featured in displays at venues including the Design Museum, in the capital.

But they have taken up home, for now, here in rural Somerset, allowing visitors to enjoy the tunes they were designed to dance to as they take in the surreal, colourful creations.

However, it might not have happened at all, Kate goes on.

“I had them in storage for ages. Adam and Marcus couldn’t believe I still had them – they thought I would have just thrown them all away.

“But after all the time spent making them, I couldn’t do that.”

Costumes created for the Eve of Destruction video

There are now plans for the exhibition, entitled Music Response 001, to move to London in the future.

So before they Exit Planet Dust, make sure you Come With Us, For That Beautiful Feeling…

Music Response 001 is open at Commerce House, Market Place, Wincanton, from 2pm to 7pm on Fridays, and from 11am until 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays, until October 29. For more information, visit smithandlyall.com.