Musician, storyteller, actor and activist Riz Ahmed today announces a one-off livestream performance of The Long Goodbye on 19 December 2020.

Developed especially for the digital realm and presented in binaural sound, the online performance is a companion piece to the electrifying live stage show  commissioned by MIF and Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) that was originally due to premiere in Manchester in March 2020 before COVID-19 led to its postponement until 2021.

Following on from his acclaimed recent album The Long Goodbye, a close-up look at the breakup of a toxic relationship with the country you call home, Ahmed’s livestreamed performance will blend storytelling, music, archive footage and immersive sound to guide audiences through an emotional landscape. Unravelling the album tracks, it tells the story of this moment through a personal journey and asks: ‘how did we get here?’

It is performed by Ahmed and directed by writer and director Kirsty Housley (Tao of Glass, MIF19), with creative direction from Andrea Gelardin and Sound Design from Gareth Fry.

The online performance of The Long Goodbye will be livestreamed on Saturday 19 December 2020 (time TBA) presented by WeTransfer. Tickets will go on pre-sale on Wednesday 9 December at 2pm (GMT) for 24hr priority booking and Thursday 10 December general sale at 2pm GMT.

Mark Ball, Creative Director at MIF says:

“This online companion performance will be a very different experience to The Long Goodbye live stage show which we are planning to bring to Manchester next year, but the energy, emotions and themes of Riz Ahmed’s words are ever resonant with these times, and we’re delighted to be able to continue our journey with this extraordinary performer.”

We are working to reschedule a new date for the world-premiere of The Long Goodbye live stage show in 2021. watch this space!

Mongrel Records today also releases a brand new Riz Ahmed track today Once Kings, produced by Ben Khan and CID RIM and accompanied by a video directed by Myriam Raja and edited by Chloe Hardwick. The Once Kings video incorporates exclusive clips from the highly anticipated new film Mogul Mowgli – also out today – interspersed with archival footage from Riz’s own childhood, to spellbinding effect.