Living in London isn’t all that bad. Back in my hometown a concert by A Hawk and a Hacksaw would probably never have happened and in case it did take place, there would just be a bunch of intellectuals judging the band from behind their heavy glasses. On the contrary, the amount of people living in this metropolis makes you expect this event to be sold out even in a fairly big venue. So, no surprise a queue of fans looking for a ticket awaited me at the Uxbridge Road entrance.
Why should you consider this band something special? First of all try to concentrate on the name: how would you ever imagine to choose such a weird name for your band? Then, the music: getting interested in eastern European gipsy folk is not that common especially for a band that originated in the U.S. and whose founder is the ex drummer of the indie project Neutral Milk Hotel.
Despite of all this, Jeremy Barnes and Heather Trost succeeded in recreating the magical atmospheres of the Balkan world through the release of various albums capable of mixing Klezmer, Estern European Folk, Gipsy songs and many more influences with contemporary and avant-garde music.
The London gig, part of the Contemporary Music Network Tour, takes place at the lovely Bush Hall and in this case they’re supported by a special guest band of incredibly talented musicians coming from Budapest: The Hun Hangár Ensemble. They enter the stage after being introduced by the two members of the Hawk and a Hacksaw playing the accordion and the violin. They walk through the public wearing masks and giving people that sense of participation that is probably the most important feature of the folk tradition where music is almost considered as a right.
The number of instruments on stage is impressive: Hungarian bagpipes, clarinet, alto saxophone, taragoto, viola, upright bass, accordion, trumpet, violin and cimbalom. The presence of the ensemble creates a distance from the unexpected cuts and pastes you’ve got used to while listening to a Hawk and a Hacksaw album. The show is closer to the traditional harmonies of Hungarian folk and there is little space left for vocals while the attention focuses on instant composition and the band playing as a whole to create the beauty and strength of music. It’s a stream of sound that pretends to be danced, however there is no happiness in the air and melancholy together with a shadow of spectral desperation pervade the work of these musicians.
It’s always nice seeing people playing and enjoying themselves, and on Thursday that definitely happened: mixing old repertoire of A Hawk And A Hacksaw with the re-elaboration of songs coming directly from the folk tradition, the concert seemed unstoppable. The band played for more than 2 hours leaving me absolutely breathless.
For anyone that missed this concert, Leaf Label just released the beautiful A Hawk And A Hacksaw And The Hun Hangár Ensemble EP; something I felt was just necessary to be bought.
Tags:
A Hawk and A Hacksaw, Band, Bush Hall, Gig, Heather Trost, Jeremy Barnes
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