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Ballsy Fanfare
Mark Espiner, Evening Standard 30 Jan 2008
Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller made a mural called Acid House-Brass, a huge flow chart that connected colliery brass bands to the acid house movement. He needn't have bothered. The Romanian Fanfare Ciocarlia, who scooped a BBC world music award in 2006, embody in their ballsy, brassy oompah sound every kind of party you could ever imagine.
This seductive underground dive, normally a restaurant, was the perfect venue. Tables at the edges for feasting guests gave way to a packed dance floor with hands aloft. The booming sousaphone, which wrapped its wide-girthed player like a wedding band, gave the bass, while flutter-tongued trumpets let out jubilant blasts.
Traditional songs mixed with bastard salsa and, at one point, a raucous James Bond theme. The crowd lapped it up. This music had something of a punk attitude despite the age of the mainly middle-aged, trilby-toting players.
As Deller, no doubt, was trying to point out: trumpets can be subversive. This was, too. Never mind the brass bands, here's the Balkans.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (1)
Wonderful,wonderful,wonderful! I would say 5 star concert as rarely some sort of music put everyone on fire no matter of age differences. And the venue looks great as much worth trying the very tasty food. Brilliant and looking forward for the next gig at the same place on Feb 28. Highly recommended. Just come along and I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
- Constantin, London, 30/01/2008 23:26
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