Skip The Budgie

For some reason The Cedar have always passed me by. Tonight I have front row seats and it is a great atmosphere in the croft as they take us on a gentle 'coaster ride through acousticky songs, near - folky dance and passionate storytelling. The music is beautiful and even manages to brighten up the otherwise dingy back room in the Croft

There are songs with banjos, trumpets, an accordion type thing, a lovely viola and everyone except the drummer plays more than one instrument. We all sit on the floor and the banter is funny, even the Irish heckler is funny tonight.

It's a bit of a strange venue for a gypsy band though, the back room in the Croft is dark and musty. Sure, it sounds great but I can't help feeling that the general darkness and red walls dampen the mood slightly. The place is due for an overhaul so I hear, but let's just let the music transport us beyond these walls.

Luminescent Orchestrii play a strange but uplifting blend of furious gypsy reels and klezmer mixed with the odd bit of hip hop and funk. It's amazing. People begin to spasm involuntarily until the band announce that this really is their last song now and suddenly everyone wants to dance properly.

Although the night doesn't quite live up to the atmosphere of the first time I experienced this band - where they effectively played three sets all evening and there wasn't a frown in the place, but it's still something quite stunningly exciting and different to your usual folky bands.

(I apologise for the lack of photos, my camera is *ahem* indisposed and I am working on acquiring a new one...)