Award-winners Warsaw Village Band to play at Buxton Opera House

Warsaw Village Band, one of the most successful Eastern European ensembles outside of the mainstream, will be performing in Buxton.
Warsaw Village Band play at Buxton Opera House on June 25 2015Warsaw Village Band play at Buxton Opera House on June 25 2015
Warsaw Village Band play at Buxton Opera House on June 25 2015

Folk and rock audiences alike have been won over by the group’s combination of traditional music with modern elements.

Described by BBC3 as having a sound that’s ‘uncompromisingly traditionalist’ updated with a guttural punk rock aesthetic,’ the band were formed as a response to what they believed was a very narrow-minded music scene.

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They turned to their roots in search for musical inspiration by exploring the folklore and archaic sounds of their ancestors. A spokesman for the band said: “We travelled from village to village, seeking out the old people; we listened to their music and their stories. What surprised us most was that no one else in the villages is interested in this music anymore. These are old people, and when they die, the music will die with them.”

Their vocals feature ‘white voice’, a traditional vocal technique reportedly originating from shepherds shouting.

Musically they offer a mix of traditional Polish instruments with violin and cello. The resulting sound is likened to ‘hardcore folk’ - a mesmerising mixture of the old and new, with influences of medieval, traditional Polish, heavy metal, techno and electronica.

The group have won an army of accolades including a BBC World Music Award in 2004 and they’ve scooped the Polish Grammy Frederik Award three times.

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They count international music festivals among their credits, including the 2005 Roskilde Festival in Denmark, the 2004 Masala Festival in Hanover, Germany, and the 2000 International Ethnic Music Fest in Germany.

Warsaw Village Band perform at Buxton Opera House on June 25, at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced at £17.50. Call 01298 72190 or visit wwwbuxtonoperahouse.org.uk

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