On a very chilly evening, friends waltz and, eventually, leap and bounce under the mirrored shimmer of the Strange Brew glitterball. Tiny lights pick out laughter and smiles as two of Bristol’s finest live bands chase away the November blues. If tonight is a celebration of twenty years of Sheelanagig’s folk madness, then The Schmoozenbergs areContinue reading “Sheelanagig/The Schmoozenbergs – Strange Brew – November”
Category Archives: Balkan/Eastern European
Opa Rosa – The Jam Jar – November
Fiddle and accordion, double bass and clattering percussion are guaranteed to get feet moving and hands in the air. Eastern European grooves force knee-bends and fingers flickering in the air. A relentless, undulating rhythm seems to be searching for something to push it over the edge. And then Isis Wolf-Light raises her clarinet to theContinue reading “Opa Rosa – The Jam Jar – November”
Topette!! – The Jam Jar – June
To celebrate their tenth anniversary, Anglo-French, Bristol-based, Folk supergroup Topette!! did the only sensible thing that they could. They threw a party. In their favourite place. With dancing. The magical space that is The Jam Jar swirled and grinned, stepped and laughed as five wonderful musicians provided a soundtrack to Bourrées, Gavottes and Waltzes. Andy Cutting’sContinue reading “Topette!! – The Jam Jar – June”
Ye Vagabonds – The Mount Without – February
As the last notes of the last song gently rose to the cloud dappled roof of The Mount Without a lone voice from the packed audience simply said “wow”. It was a neat summation of this delayed Ye Vagabonds show and the perfect review. Ye Vagabonds form part of the new wave of Irish folk bands (along with Lankum, JohnContinue reading “Ye Vagabonds – The Mount Without – February”
Hedera – St Anne’s – January
What a joy. What a joy to be invited into this incredible, inclusive space. What a joy to see a community, fully formed, chatting and hugging, hugging and chatting. What a joy to be immersed into the glorious sound-world that Hedera create. Hedera formed over lock-down, connecting via computer screen, embarking on what they called Moon Jams. TheyContinue reading “Hedera – St Anne’s – January”
Opa Rosa – The Jam Jar – September
How do you find the words to describe Opa Rosa? How can you capture this feeling with simple syllables? How can you convey the dip and sway, the swirl and twirl, the pulsing, heart racing, uproarious glory of clarinet and violin, of accordion and rhythm? How can anyone properly write about the collective, hands-in-the-air dizzyContinue reading “Opa Rosa – The Jam Jar – September”
The Schmoozenbergs – The Wardrobe – September
If there’s one thing that Bristol does ridiculously well, it’s furious musical cross pollination. Where musical styles go, the welcome mat is always out, the kettle’s always on, there’s a bottle of wine open and everyone (and everything) is always welcome. It stands to reason, therefore, that The Schmoozenbergs, a Gypsy jazz, klezmer, folk-ish, francophoneContinue reading “The Schmoozenbergs – The Wardrobe – September”
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