The Thousands

It was a golden rule of Andy Warhol’s The Factory in ‘60s New York that on one’s initial arrival at the space – be you rock star, celebutante or famed street hustler – you would have to pose for Mr Warhol’s Super 8 camera. It was Andy’s way of giving everyone their own 15 minutes of fame. Now, over 40 years later, a select few of these famed screen tests have been gathered together under the title 13 Most Beautiful.

This show sees the tests set to the music of New York-based husband and wife team Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips  (who also wrote music for Noah Baumbach’s film The Squid & The Whale). Dean & Brita come to PIAF to perform their soundtrack, live, to the film, which screens at the Astor next weekend. 

Expect a stark exercise in portraiture which captures the intensity of a generation – think Lou Reed, Ann Buchanan, Nico and Edie Sedgewick. The music itself, including the odd Reed cover, is a soundscape of nostalgia and ingenuity, the perfect backdrop to one of Warhol’s greatest legacies.