A few years ago, I watched AlunaGeorge play to a crowd of about 100 people in an isolated forest location surrounded by small, pumpkin-shaped fairy lights. This, I thought, is the weirdest place anyone will ever see AlunaGeorge. Today I realised that I was wrong, because it has been revealed that the London duo will be playing a gig tomorrow night live from within the virtual borders of cult PC game Minecraft.To clarify, AlunaGeorge haven’t somehow found a way to transform themselves into 3D procedurally generated beings and physically enter the realms of the digital world, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory style – that would be bigger news than this. What’s actually happening is that they will be playing to around 6,000 people at a massive Norwegian tech conference called The Gathering (alongside artists Lemaitre and Broiler). That concert will then be simultaneously recreated within Minecraft by a team of gamers who will be perfectly synching the band member’s IRL movements with their avatar counterparts.“There have been plenty of other music experiences in the Minecraft universe, but not like this. This will be the world's first live Minecraft concert," Erik Heisholt, organiser of The Gathering told The Local, adding: “I'm sure they’ll be able to accommodate around 2,000 to 3,000 people, so this will have the same sort of feel as seeing a show in small concert venue.”So there you have it – a way to go to gigs that doesn’t involve removing your dressing gown, spending £8 on some warm lager in a plastic cup, or having to be within breathing distance of other real people. You can watch the show by logging into Minecraft on Wednesday night at 8pm, and keeping an eye on The Gathering's Twitter page.
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