London's musical entertainment scene has something for everyone - from long-running blockbuster shows to no-name bands in dingy basements. Somewhere in the middle is monophonic plainchant versions of the Halo theme sung in a church.
The acoustics at St Martin in the Field are echoey. That makes it rather hard to hear the amplified announcement to turn off our phones, but makes an a cappella chorus absolutely soar. The choir of London Voices have sung on just about every movie you've watched and game you've played - so they're no stranger to more modern compositions.
The programme strictly alternated between songs from popular games are some more traditional verses. As a tone-deaf musical ignoramus, I found some of the pieces hard to distinguish from each other and, perhaps, just a little repetitive. Delightfully, the choir is generous with its solos. Far too often these events have one main star while everyone else glares daggers at them. Here it seemed quite the opposite, with a range of voices brought to the forefront.
Parts of the programme are a little odd. While Pilentze Pee is an incredible song and sung extremely well, I don't think there's much to tie it to The Wind Waker. Of course, the highlight was a cheeky rendition of "Still Alive" from Portal. An excellent arrangement sung with joy and gusto.
An eclectic and interesting event, marred only by the uncomfortable pews of the church. Truly we must suffer for other people's art!
