Tag Archives: The Crooked Fiddle Band

CANCELLED – THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND Live in Concert at Baroque Room, Katoomba, Blue Mountains, SAT 30th April 2022

There is some good news and not so good news: Jess is pregnant (yay for
another new little person) however TCFB are being extra careful, mostly
because of sound dB levels in smaller spaces, and also partly so that
she has the capacity to record their new album now that it has a
definite time limit.

Thank you for your purchase and support of this (and other events) and especially to those that patiently held on through the reschedule due to lockdown too! We are really disappointed that we couldn’t enjoy this fabulous act with you again (especially when dancing has just been confirmed!) and we are looking forward to a time further down the line when this might be possible.
For now if you are after a dancing fix then we have the very fun ‘Soul Movers’ on 2nd  April and the slightly naughty ‘Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys’ on 28th May.
All ticket holders have been emailed on 24/02/22 with the option to refund or transfer their tickets.

Fusion Boutique Presents
THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND
Live in Concert at the Baroque Room, Carrington Hotel

New Rescheduled Date – Saturday 30th April 2022
Doors Open 8pm | Performance Start 9pm

Venue: BAROQUE ROOM 15 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW 2780 Blue Mountains.
– NEW ENTRY VIA THE CARRINGTON HOTEL DRIVEWAY –


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ARIA nominees THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND are a mesmerising and fiery acoustic 4-piece that deliver high-energy Chainsaw Future-Folk. Post-Apocalyptic World Music. Celtic Energy. Swamp-Stomping Hoe down. Dance-Inciting Mayhem. Hardcore Gypsy Passion!

The Crooked Fiddle Band formed in 2006 through their mutual love of the energy and intensity of various traditional world music. Whilst writing and arranging, they discovered that this energy was shared by the other music they love: there seems to be a common thread between the frenetic accompaniment of gypsy, klezmer and punk rock; between the twisting rhythms of math-metal and Balkan folk; between the clear tonalities of Scandinavian folk, Celtic folk, and cinematic post rock.
All these influences went into the mix, but what came out was The Crooked Fiddle Band. The sound they love is dark and often driving, but also writhing and ecstatic. They have jumped around with whirling crowds at festivals, bars and dirty warehouse parties throughout Europe and Australia and also played their more cinematic sounds in the Opera Theatre of the Sydney Opera House.
This music they have sometimes called ‘chainsaw folk’ – even though they are pro-conservation – but others have called it “14th century Romanian metal”, “thrash folk”, “whirlwind gypsy” and even “what Sepultura would sound like if they provided the soundtrack to a hyperactive version of O Brother Where Art Thou.” So whilst the search continues for a name for their genre, they are mainly concerned with making music with melody, energy and intensity.

Driven by the beautiful and furious fiddling of Jess Randall (also on Lennart Lovdin Nyckelharpa), and underpinned by a rhythm section featuring Gordon Wallace (Gilet guitar, a Wheeler Custom Lutherie guizouki and a Fylde mandolin and cittern), Mark Stevens (double bass, Appalachian dulcimer, charango) and Joe Gould (drum kit, hand percussion, garbage bin, vocals) the Crooked Fiddle Band sound blasts, rocks and grooves to the point of dementia, compelling listeners into a joyous frenzy.

Their latest offering ‘Another Subtle Atom Bomb’ takes the band’s blistering violin-led live show and creates soundtracks to their feelings around climate change. From angsty and furious folk tunes to fantastical imagined worlds full of ecstatic hope, this is The Crooked Fiddle Band’s most personal album yet.

Their music has been described by Brian Eno as “…completely surprising: the music is original and quixotic. I can’t say I’ve ever heard anything else like it!”

“This band really is a national treasure and testament to the infinite talent that keeps manifesting in our backyard… this group have re-invented folk music as it is known… The Crooked Fiddle Band charmed the audience into submission.” – Vanessa Lahey, Australian Stage

“When The Crooked Fiddle Band took to the stage, it was as though someone had put 10,000 volts through the dance floor.” – BEAT magazine.

“AN IRRESISTIBLE FORCE OF NATURE.” – Tony Hillier, The Australian

www.crookedfiddleband.com
www.facebook.com/crookedfiddleband

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VENUE: BAROQUE ROOM 15 Katoomba St (entry via the Carrington Hotel driveway, through the ‘Baroque Room’ arch) Katoomba, NSW 2780 Blue Mountains
*** NEW ENTRY VIA THE CARRINGTON HOTEL DRIVEWAY KATOOMBA ST ***
Come and enjoy the new refurbishments of this terrific room!

*This event is an over 18 years only. No minors will be granted entry to the event.
Please also note that the Baroque Room is a room that we hire, the Carrington Hotel will be operating the bar inside the room but there is no kitchen or food available at the venue. The Old City Bank also owned by the Carrington Hotel next door has hot meals available however guests are unable to bring outside food or drinks inside the Baroque room.
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All events will strictly follow COVID safe procedures, as outlined by NSW Health.

Please read the ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS before purchasing:

Fusion Boutique & The Carrington Hotel are registered COVID-SAFE businesses.
The health of our staff, performers and guests are of the highest priority. Thank you for your understanding while we navigate these current times.

• It is crucial that if you are experiencing any covid like symptoms (flu-like symptoms, fevers, sore-throats etc) that you please do not attend.
• All guests will have their temperature taken via a contact-less method on arrival.
• All guests will also have to sign in on a contact register when entering the venue. Sign-in must be done by providing accurate contact details (name and phone number or email address) and time of entry. Entry to patrons who will not provide valid contact information will be denied.
*** We will be providing contact-less check-in via QR code registration. To make this process smoother please download the Service NSW app prior to arrival: www.service.nsw.gov.au/campaign/service-nsw-mobile-app
When you arrive to the check in desk open the app and select “COVID Safe Check-in’. Once you have completed this process – show a Fusion Boutique staff member that you have signed in and then have your tickets verified.
• All bookings will have allocated seating and require group bookings.
Individual group bookings are unlikely to be able to be placed together unless requested prior to the event date.
• Please maintain physical distancing measures of 1.5m where possible.
• Hand washing and sanitising facilities will be available throughout the venue.
• Where possible, please use the COVIDsafe app.
• There will be no entry to the venue for guests prior to the stated doors open time.

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This show has been planned as a standing / dancing show.
Room configuration will be general admission standing / dancing on the dance floor and allocated seating for table bookings in Section B Bar and C Lounge. All tickets require group bookings.
Table bookings for Section B will be allocated from the front of the room to the back, based on the order that they are received.
Guests who booked tables will be emailed their seat allocations prior to the event date.
Guests who book group tables will be able to move to the dance floor however general admission standing / dancing tickets will not have seats available.
*Please note that the event will proceed according to the public health order requirements current at the time. If seated alcohol consumption or no dancing is brought in for the event date then all Section A standing / dancing tickets will be converted to seated theatre style rows instead.

Section A – General Admission Standing / Dancing, min booking of 2. No chairs available.
Section B – Bar Area Booth seating low tables (Please note that these low tables and chairs are close to the dance floor and the line of sight to the stage may be impacted if the dance floor is full) min booking of 4.
Section B – Bar Area High Tables & Stools (Please note that these are high tables and stools running along the wall of the bar area) min booking of 4.
Section C – Back Lounge Tables, limited group bookings of 3 or 4 only
(Please note that there are 2 stairs to access the lounge)
*Please refer to the floor plan for a layout reference guide.

Tickets $35 pre +bf / $40 door per person (min booking of 2)
Ticket Link: https://events.humanitix.com/fbcrookedfiddle

*Door sales only available if not sold out prior.
Discount show pre-bookings will close 10am on the day of the event.
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Your ServiceNSW Discover Vouchers can also be redeemed for concert bookings. One voucher can be used in the payment process online through Humanitix or contact us prior to booking to discuss how a combination of vouchers can be redeemed together for bookings.

Guests can still book with confidence knowing that, while tickets are normally non-refundable, if a show needs to be cancelled for any reason then all tickets will of course be refunded. If a show needs to be rescheduled then tickets will be valid for the new dates. In the instance of guest illness tickets can be transferred on request.

CONTACT DETAILS OF EVENT ORGANISER: Charity Mirow
For more information visit: www.fusionboutique.com.au

SOLD OUT – GREAT SOUTHERN NIGHTS & FUSION BOUTIQUE present THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND + DEEPSEA LIGHTS, Baroque Room, Katoomba, Blue Mountains, SAT 14th November 2020

SOLD OUT – Great Southern Nights in association with Fusion Boutique Present
THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND
+ DEEPSEA LIGHTS
Live in Concert at the Baroque Room, Carrington Hotel, Katoomba, Blue Mountains

Saturday 14th November 2020, 8:00pm. Doors Open 7:00pm.
Venue: BAROQUE ROOM 15 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW 2780 Blue Mountains.

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This show is now SOLD OUT based on the current restrictions and significantly reduced capacities while following the one guest per 4 metre square requirements.

We currently have a range of other fabulous events planned for November and beyond – please see www.fusionboutique.com.au for more information and ticket sales.

If tickets are currently sold out for events then please either join the waiting list through the Sticky Tickets online platform or send an email to to request addition to the waiting list for the specific show in the hope that numbers can be increased prior to the event date.

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We are very excited to be bringing you some more fabulous in person live music concerts in the upper Blue Mountains!
Social distancing requirements that are currently in place require 4 square metres per patron and hence there are currently only 48 tickets in total to this show. The room configuration will be seated and allocated per booking (not general admission) and require a min of 2, max of 4 to allow for the space required between bookings and to enable the floor plan to fit the current significantly reduced capacity.
These will be very exclusive shows and we advise booking quickly to avoid disappointment!
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Recent ARIA nominees – THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND are a mesmerising and fiery acoustic 4-piece that deliver high-energy Chainsaw Future-Folk. Post-Apocalyptic World Music. Celtic Energy. Swamp-Stomping Hoe down. Dance-Inciting Mayhem. Hardcore Gypsy Passion!

The Crooked Fiddle Band formed in 2006 through their mutual love of the energy and intensity of various traditional world music. Whilst writing and arranging, they discovered that this energy was shared by the other music they love: there seems to be a common thread between the frenetic accompaniment of gypsy, klezmer and punk rock; between the twisting rhythms of math-metal and Balkan folk; between the clear tonalities of Scandinavian folk, Celtic folk, and cinematic post rock.
All these influences went into the mix, but what came out was The Crooked Fiddle Band. The sound they love is dark and often driving, but also writhing and ecstatic They have jumped around with whirling crowds at festivals, bars and dirty warehouse parties throughout Europe and Australia and also played their more cinematic sounds in the Opera Theatre of the Sydney Opera House.
This music they have sometimes called ‘chainsaw folk’ – even though they are pro-conservation – but others have called it “14th century Romanian metal”, “thrash folk”, “whirlwind gypsy” and even “what Sepultura would sound like if they provided the soundtrack to a hyperactive version of O Brother Where Art Thou.” So whilst the search continues for a name for their genre, they are mainly concerned with making music with melody, energy and intensity.

Driven by the beautiful and furious fiddling of Jess Randall (also on Lennart Lovdin Nyckelharpa), and underpinned by a rhythm section featuring Gordon Wallace (Gilet guitar, a Wheeler Custom Lutherie guizouki and a Fylde mandolin and cittern), Mark Stevens (double bass, Appalachian dulcimer, charango) and Joe Gould (drum kit, hand percussion, garbage bin, vocals) the Crooked Fiddle Band sound blasts, rocks and grooves to the point of dementia, compelling listeners into a joyous frenzy.

Their latest offering ‘Another Subtle Atom Bomb’ takes the band’s blistering violin-led live show and creates soundtracks to their feelings around climate change. From angsty and furious folk tunes to fantastical imagined worlds full of ecstatic hope, this is The Crooked Fiddle Band’s most personal album yet.

Their music has been described by Brian Eno as “…completely surprising: the music is original and quixotic. I can’t say I’ve ever heard anything else like it!”

“This band really is a national treasure and testament to the infinite talent that keeps manifesting in our backyard… this group have re-invented folk music as it is known… The Crooked Fiddle Band charmed the audience into submission.” – Vanessa Lahey, Australian Stage

“When The Crooked Fiddle Band took to the stage, it was as though someone had put 10,000 volts through the dance floor.” – BEAT magazine.

“AN IRRESISTIBLE FORCE OF NATURE.” – Tony Hillier, The Australian

www.crookedfiddleband.com
www.facebook.com/crookedfiddleband

DeepseaLights_03WEB300

Blue Mountains based Deepsea Lights have spent most of their time playing gigs in and around Sydney, taking their time to craft a unique sound and engaging stage presence. Sometimes playing more traditional venues, often playing underground artist run events, their versatile set means they’re at home on most line-ups.

Captivating vocals, catchy melodies, live looping, spoken word; Deepsea Lights put a lot of focus on pulling a crowd in, and creating and holding a space. In 2019 the duo released their first full length album “The Space Between”. 
Not content living in just one genre, the duo dip their toes (and sometimes plunge their heads) into anything that inspires them. Lying somewhere between folk and trip-hop, their uncommon sound can move from rolling bass lines and ethereal vocal melodies, to beats composed entirely of household objects being struck with other household objects, to aggressive hip-hop rants, to soft rainy-day folk songs. Stitching their inspirations together like a sonic patchwork quilt, they’ll use whatever they can get their hands on in an effort to get things out of their heads and into the world.

www.fromthedeepsea.com
www.facebook.com/deepsealights
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Great Southern Nights is a new event to kick-start the recovery of the live music industry – featuring 1,000 COVID-safe gigs across Sydney and Regional NSW, throughout November 2020 (Australian Music Month). Great Southern Nights is a NSW Government initiative, delivered by Destination NSW in partnership with ARIA. For more information, please visit greatsouthernnights.com.au
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VENUE: BAROQUE ROOM 15 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW 2780 Blue Mountains
*** NEW ENTRY VIA THE CARRINGTON HOTEL DRIVEWAY KATOOMBA ST ***
Through the ‘Baroque Room’ arch.
Come and enjoy the new refurbishments of this terrific room!

*Please note that this event is an over 18 years only. No minors will be granted entry to the event.


Room configuration will be seated and allocated and require a min of 2 max of 4.

Doors Open 7:00pm. Show start 8:00pm
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Please read the ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS before purchasing:

Fusion Boutique & The Carrington Hotel are registered COVID-SAFE businesses.
The health of our staff, performers and guests are of the highest priority. Thank you for your understanding while we navigate these current times.

• It is crucial that if you are experiencing any covid like symptoms (flu-like symptoms, fevers, sore-throats etc) that you please do not attend.
• All guests will have their temperature taken via a contact-less method on arrival.
• All guests will also have to sign in on a contact register when entering the venue. Sign-in must be done by providing accurate contact details (name and phone number or email address) and time of entry. Entry to patrons who will not provide valid contact information will be denied.
*** We will be providing contact-less check-in via QR code registration. To make this process smoother please download the Service NSW app prior to arrival: www.service.nsw.gov.au/campaign/service-nsw-mobile-app
When you arrive to the check in desk open the app and select “COVID Safe Check-in’. Follow the prompts to enter your First and Family Name and your Australian Mobile #. You will be sent a verification code to enter. Once you have completed this process – show a Fusion Boutique staff member that you have signed in and then have your tickets verified.
• All bookings will have allocated seating and require a min of 2 max of 4.
Guests will be required to remain seated during the event except to travel to the bar or toilet facilities and are to return directly to their allocated seating.
Alcohol can only be consumed by seated customers.
Dancing is currently prohibited in NSW venues for patrons.
• Please maintain physical distancing measures of 1.5m where possible.
• Hand washing and sanitising facilities will be available throughout the venue.
• Where possible, please use the COVIDsafe app.
• Staff will be wearing masks. Mask wearing by guests is fully supported.
• There will be no entry to the venue for guests prior to the stated doors open time.
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TICKETS: DISCOUNT Early Bird pre-sale $35+ booking fees online only:
www.stickytickets.com.au/N510E 
Group bookings available only in allocated seating of 2 & 4.
Or $40 at the Baroque Room door from 7:00pm only in bookings of 2 or 4 – Cash Only (Unless Sold Out)

Book with confidence knowing that, while tickets are non-refundable, if a show needs to be cancelled for any reason then all tickets will of course be refunded. If a show needs to be rescheduled then tickets will be valid for the new dates. In the instance of guest illness tickets can be transferred on request.
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CONTACT DETAILS: Charity Mirow
For more information visit: www.fusionboutique.com.au

THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND & SONORI at Hotel Gearin, Katoomba Blue Mountains, SAT 16th December 2017

THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND + SONORI
in concert at Hotel Gearin

Sat 16th December 2017
Venue: HOTEL GEARIN, 273 Great Western Hwy, Katoomba, Blue Mountains NSW 2780.

Put on your dancing shoes and don’t miss your chance to enjoy this unique musical experience!

THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND return to the Blue Mountains to showcase some of their new material ahead of recording for their next album.
They will be joined on the night by Blue Mountains locals SONORI for their highly anticipated Mountains EP launch.

The mesmerising and fiery acoustic 4-piece that is THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND deliver high-energy Chainsaw Future-Folk. Post-Apocalyptic World Music. Celtic Energy. Swamp-Stomping Hoe down. Dance-Inciting Mayhem. Hardcore Gypsy Passion!

The Crooked Fiddle Band formed in 2006 through their mutual love of the energy and intensity of various traditional world music. Whilst writing and arranging, they discovered that this energy was shared by the other music they love: there seems to be a common thread between the frenetic accompaniment of gypsy, klezmer and punk rock; between the twisting rhythms of math-metal and balkan folk; between the clear tonalities of Scandinavian folk, Celtic folk, and cinematic post rock.

All these influences went into the mix, but what came out was The Crooked Fiddle Band. The sound they love is dark and often driving, but also writhing and ecstatic. They have jumped around with whirling crowds at festivals, bars and dirty warehouse parties throughout Europe and Australia and also played their more cinematic sounds in the Opera Theatre of the Sydney Opera House.
From whirling dances to intense battle-scene climaxes, this four-piece spurs the dance floor into a post-apocalyptic hoe down.

This music they have sometimes called ‘chainsaw folk’ – even though they are pro-conservation – but others have called it “14th century Romanian metal”, “thrash folk”, “whirlwind gypsy” and even “what Sepultura would sound like if they provided the soundtrack to a hyperactive version of O Brother Where Art Thou.” So whilst the search continues for a name for their genre, they are mainly concerned with making music with melody, energy and intensity.

Driven by the beautiful and furious fiddling of Jess Randall (also on Lennart Lovdin Nyckelharpa), and underpinned by a rhythm section featuring Gordon Wallace (Gilet guitar, a Wheeler Customer Lutherie guizouki and a Fylde mandolin and cittern), Mark Stevens (double bass, Appalachian dulcimer, charango) and Joe Gould (drum kit, hand percussion, garbage bin, vocals) the Crooked Fiddle Band sound blasts, rocks and grooves to the point of dementia, compelling listeners into a joyous frenzy.

Their music has been described by Brian Eno as “…completely surprising: the music is original and quixotic. I can’t say I’ve ever heard anything else like it!”

“This band really is a national treasure and testament to the infinite talent that keeps manifesting in our backyard… this group have re-invented folk music as it is known… The Crooked Fiddle Band charmed the audience into submission.” – Vanessa Lahey, Australian Stage

“When The Crooked Fiddle Band took to the stage, it was as though someone had put 10,000 volts through the dance floor.” – BEAT magazine.

www.crookedfiddleband.com
www.facebook.com/crookedfiddleband

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SONORI-2017_300web

Formed in the music and art rich community of Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains of NSW, SONORI was the result of the unlikely convergence of an effects loving classically trained cellist, a post rock guru and an electronics junkie. Word of this intriguing and unusual combination lead to a gig booking before they had even played a single note together. Beginning life as an instrumental three piece made up of looped cellos, guitars/keys and drum machines, they were then joined by an eclectically influenced singer taking their original compositions to a whole other level with an extensive set of lyrical themes and versatile singing techniques.
They quickly discovered that their individual skills and complimentary differences blended with their shared passions and friendly natures, resulting in a musical style which fulfilled the promise of something special and unique.

Rich with thick layers of sound, pulsing beats and soaring and shadowy vocals, they have been described as “Cinematic orchestral experimental journey music. Post rock you can dance to”.

Appealing to both the outgoing dancers and the inward thinkers alike, they immediately captured people’s attention and the buzz that was created on the local scene following their first few shows confirmed that they were onto something.
As their sound continued to develop through a string of hometown appearances, the band commenced work on their debut EP, further solidifying the bond between the members as they all worked closely together on the writing, composition, arrangement, recording and mixing.

With a front page feature in local street press ‘The Haze Mag’, and multiple appearances on community radio, local support continued to grow as they appeared on stage alongside acts as varied as Sydney post rock giants We Lost the Sea, and Melbourne beats oriented world music titans Tijuana Cartel.
A trip to Psyfari festival in 2016 saw them playing a technicolour ‪Saturday night‬ set with a great response from the happy Psyfarians.

More recently the band spent two nights performing on the steps of Katoomba’s iconic Carrington Hotel as part of the ‘Culturescape’ festival event, where their music provided a live soundtrack to the works of local artists projected across the face of the building as the band played.

This romantic origin story is represented beautifully on their debut self titled EP, which is due for release in December‪.‬ The recording serves as both an introduction to the band and a promise of much more to come.

Line up:
Lulu Levins-Skehill – Vocals, Bass
Andre Matkovic – Guitar, Keys
Tim Mahony – Cello
Jasper Russell – 303, 808, 909, TRON, other drum machines, electronics & lights

www.sonorimusic.com
www.facebook.com/sonorimusic

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Venue: HOTEL GEARIN
273 Great Western Hwy, Katoomba
Blue Mountains NSW 2780.
*Please note that this Hotel Gearin show is over 18’s only.

Doors Open 8pm. SONORI Start 8:45pm.
General Admission. Room configuration is a mix of cabaret seating and standing/dancing.

Tickets DISCOUNT Early Bird pre-sale $20 available from:
KATOOMBA MUSIC, 140 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW 2780 (Tues-Sat. Cash Only) or the Hotel Gearin front Bar during open hours.

Or online $21.50 (Including booking fees): www.stickytickets.com.au/59302

*Please Note – there are a limited number of pre-sale discount tickets available!

Or $25 on the Door from 8pm (Unless Sold Out)

CONTACT DETAILS:

THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND + DVA (Czech Republic) + Vanessa Caspersz & Gaia Scarf at Hotel Gearin, Katoomba Blue Mountains, Fri 1st May 2015

Nomadic Fish and Fusion Boutique Present:
THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND
+ DVA (Czech Republic)
+ Special Guests – Vanessa Caspersz & Gaia Scarf (Blue Mountains)

Fri 1st May 2015
HOTEL GEARIN
Venue: HOTEL GEARIN
273 Great Western Hwy, Katoomba
Blue Mountains NSW 2780.

One Show Only – Don’t miss your chance to enjoy this unique musical experience!

The mesmerising and fiery acoustic 4-piece that is THE CROOKED FIDDLE BAND deliver high-energy Chainsaw Future-Folk. Post-Apocalyptic World Music. Celtic Energy. Swamp-Stomping Hoe down. Dance-Inciting Mayhem. Hardcore Gypsy Passion!

The Crooked Fiddle Band formed in 2006 through their mutual love of the energy and intensity of various traditional world music. Whilst writing and arranging, they discovered that this energy was shared by the other music they love: there seems to be a common thread between the frenetic accompaniment of gypsy, klezmer and punk rock; between the twisting rhythms of math-metal and balkan folk; between the clear tonalities of Scandinavian folk, Celtic folk, and cinematic post rock.

All these influences went into the mix, but what came out was The Crooked Fiddle Band. The sound they love is dark and often driving, but also writhing and ecstatic. They have jumped around with whirling crowds at festivals, bars and dirty warehouse parties throughout Europe and Australia and also played their more cinematic sounds in the Opera Theatre of the Sydney Opera House.
From whirling dances to intense battle-scene climaxes, this four-piece spurs the dance floor into a post-apocalyptic hoe down.

This music they have sometimes called ‘chainsaw folk’ – even though they are pro-conservation – but others have called it “14th century Romanian metal”, “thrash folk”, “whirlwind gypsy” and even “what Sepultura would sound like if they provided the soundtrack to a hyperactive version of O Brother Where Art Thou.” So whilst the search continues for a name for their genre, they are mainly concerned with making music with melody, energy and intensity.

Driven by the beautiful and furious fiddling of Jess Randall (also on Lennart Lovdin Nyckelharpa), and underpinned by a rhythm section featuring Gordon Wallace (Gilet guitar, a Wheeler Customer Lutherie guizouki and a Fylde mandolin and cittern), Mark Stevens (double bass, Appalachian dulcimer, charango) and Joe Gould (drum kit, hand percussion, garbage bin, vocals) the Crooked Fiddle Band sound blasts, rocks and grooves to the point of dementia, compelling listeners into a joyous frenzy.

Their music has been described by Brian Eno as “…completely surprising: the music is original and quixotic. I can’t say I’ve ever heard anything else like it!”

“This band really is a national treasure and testament to the infinite talent that keeps manifesting in our backyard… this group have re-invented folk music as it is known… The Crooked Fiddle Band charmed the audience into submission.” – Vanessa Lahey, Australian Stage

“When The Crooked Fiddle Band took to the stage, it was as though someone had put 10,000 volts through the dance floor.” – BEAT magazine.

www.crookedfiddleband.com
www.facebook.com/crookedfiddleband

DVA (Hradec Králové / Pardubice / Czech Republic) create alt-pop-songs / kitchen beat box / tango / cabaret / cirkus / radionoise!

Operating in their own microcosm, DVA have stood out with an idiosyncratic sonic lexicon – “pop for non-existing radios” or “folklore of non-existing nations”, as they say. The duo – it takes two “dva” in Czech, to tango – Bára Kratochvílová and Jan Kratochvíl, have carved out a niche with their rich musical landscape. Established in 2006, the Czech project have toured the world, playing at esteemed festivals including SXSW, Eurosonic, Fusion or OFF, charming their growing global fan base with smart sophisticated pop. In 2012, DVA toured the US twice and played more than 80 concerts in 10 countries. DVA’s soundtrack for the computer game Botanicula scooped the main prize at Independent Games Festival awards in San Francisco last year, and was also nominated for the UK Sound & Music Awards.

DVA’s much-acclaimed debut album Fonók was released in 2008 which was followed by Hu in 2010, and an eponymous soundtrack for the aforementioned video game in 2013 with a new record Nipomo. Their lyrics, written in an imaginary language, remain abstruse, yet universally comprehensible, while the music is similarly peculiarly universal – an aural collage of “pop, kitchen beatbox, tango, cabaret, circus, radio noise”, bearing their unmistakable stamp – quirky, but accessible. Championed by critics – from the BBC to national and specialist music press and beyond – and fans alike, DVA are one of the most successful Czech bands to emerge in the last decade. Aside from music, they are also active in theatre whose features they have transferred into the music as well. It is not surprising then that the project’s seeds were sewn during the recording of the science fiction radio play by I. Asimov – Victory Unintentional. DVA are a living and breathing aural organism, its own thing.

www.2dva.cz
www.facebook.com/hudba2

Blue Mountains locals Vanessa Caspersz and Gaia Scarf will be opening up the evening with their own endearing and quirky blend of Jazz / Folk / Hip Hop / Beatbox.

“I like to pretend that I am a dj but only have my mouth and a ukulele” Vanessa Caspersz.
She holds an orchestra of drums, vocals and trumpet in her mouth, a ukulele in her hands and a loop pedal at her feet

Vanessa Caspersz is an up-and-coming artist from the Blue Mountains, home of Australian hip hop sensations Hermitude, Urthboy and Thundamentals. Starting off performing acoustically, Vanessa branched out into developing her beat boxing skills when she moved to London in 2011. She worked closely with well-established beat boxing artists Reeps One and Shlomo, and joined the London Contemporary Voices choir, incorporating vocal percussion into their performances and touring at festivals across the country. Beyond her tight beat boxing skills, Vanessa has a hauntingly striking voice and plays a mean ukulele that captivates her audience and brings her beats to life. She competed in both the UK and Australian beat box championships, and is currently performing and collaborating with various artists.

www.facebook.com/vanessacaspersz
www.youtube.com/user/vanessacaspersz

 

Doors Open 8:30pm.
Support Starts 9pm.
General Admission. Room configuration is a mix of cabaret seating and standing/dancing.

Tickets $15 pre-sale available NOW from:
KATOOMBA MUSIC, 140 Katoomba St, Katoomba, NSW 2780 (Cash Only)

Online $16.50 (Including booking fees):
www.trybooking.com/HDTG

$20 on the Door from 8:30pm Friday 1st May 2015 (Unless Sold Out)