thu 28/03/2024

Mahala Rai Banda and The Trans-Siberian March Band, Rich Mix | reviews, news & interviews

Mahala Rai Banda and The Trans-Siberian March Band, Rich Mix

Mahala Rai Banda and The Trans-Siberian March Band, Rich Mix

This Romanian brass band were perhaps a little too heavy on the brass

Variety, as they say, is the spice of life. So it’s something to both celebrate and ruminate upon, that on Tuesday night I was reviewing a gig at which the guitar was undisputed king, whereas last night I was standing before an 11-piece band that didn’t include a single guitar. But the Romanian big band Mahala Rai Banda produce such a brassily dense sound that it’s hard to imagine even the most cranked-up Strat being able to get a chord in edgeways.

But first up we were treated to homegrown Balkan boogie merchants The Trans-Siberian March Band. You wouldn’t think that a band that raided the dressing-up box with such carefree abandon, or ran a mid-set competition that required audience members to “dance like a horse”, would particularly appeal to a self-consciously cool Shoreditch crowd. But this lot lapped it up, bouncing around like it was 2 in the morning (it was 8.30 in the evening) to their mix of Klezmer, Balkan, Turkish and Russian songs. The fact that the band were so tight and punchy obviously helped (with that punch being reinforced by the fact they had not one, but two tuba players) as did a nifty mash-up or two. You’ve not lived until you’ve heard a Balkan brass take on “The Final Countdown” meets “The James Bond Theme”.

Essentially there are three strands of Balkan music that have captured the imagination of a public outside of southeastern Europe. The more traditional big brass bands, the DJ-centred modern dance stuff, and the more raucous punk-influenced outfits like Gogol Bordello. Mahala Rai Banda dip their toes into all three. They’ve achieved more widespread success thanks to a DJ Shantel remix of their song "Mahalageasca" which went on to feature in the movie Borat. Personally, I feel it’s a shame the band have to make the most of this claim to fame, given that Borat at its core is a patronising piss-take of Eastern European culture (whatever Sacha Baron Cohen may say to the contrary). But then in this topsy-turvy world we live in, the plastic confections of one Lady Gaga are deemed of far more worth than a whole tradition of exciting and diverse Romanian music.

 

But if you’ve got a hit, flaunt it: the band both opened and closed their raucous set with "Mahalageasca", thus catering for the late-comers and those who just can’t get enough of this part Russian knees-up, part cartoon ska slice of Euro-pop. In between they kicked serious brass arse, making the Rich Mix crowd feel like they’d gate-crashed the Romanian wedding of the year.

I only had a couple of reservations. Firstly, it would have been nice to have heard some cimbalom or some female vocals (both of which add colour and texture to their recordings). And secondly, this lot don’t seem to have heard of the ballad. I’m not a big ballad fan myself, but ballads serve a purpose in the wider canvas of a set list, even if it’s just to give the audience a break from the up-tempo stuff.

Because as brass fatigue began to take hold (bear in mind that nine of this 12-piece band play brass instruments) I really began to tire of what I started to hear as a kind of Warner Brothers cartoon aesthetic: that pumping, parping whirlwind of brass, a variation on the music that accompanies Tom as he chases Jerry around the kitchen, sending the crockery flying. My condition wasn’t helped by the fact that the trumpet player and the violinist began a duel to see who could make their instrument squeal, squeak and whistle with the greatest intensity. But the duel passed, the party continued, and a good time was had by all. In the end Mahala Rai Banda are so life-affirming, drink-affirming and music-affirming that my complaints seemed absurdly churlish. Long may they continue to keep the bar staff frenetically busy wherever they play.

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