Kerekes Band
Müpa Palace of Arts, Budapest, Hungary
12th January 2020
On a freezing January evening in Budapest, Kerekes Band certainly knew how raise the temperature. They should do, too – they’ve been going for 25 years. This was the first in a whole year of celebrations from Hungary’s premier ‘ethno-funk’ group, and it had been months in the planning. Across two hours, they presented music spanning every step of their career, from their beginnings as a traditional táncház band to the high-octane disco-roots that makes them stand out above the rest.
It started slow and acoustic, one instrument at a time, first with just end-blown shepherd’s flute, joined by viola and kobza lute and eventually bass guitar and drums to round off the quintet. From there, it just ramped up and up. Traditional melodies transformed into wild psychedelic headbangers, and covers from ‘Voodoo Child’ to ‘Jungle Boogie’ become folkified alongside pieces from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Norway.
A particularly inspired addition to this anniversary concert were special guests PásztorHóra, doubling the size of the ensemble on stage. The young, all-acoustic folk group linked past and present, sometimes literally; the most exciting moments of the concert came when PásztorHóra’s jaunty, cimbalom-led pieces flowed seamlessly into Kerekes’ biggest hits.
The eternal problem with concert halls is that they’re seemingly designed to discourage dancing. It was the same tonight, with Kerekes Band playing music that practically screams for bodily movement in front of a happy but resolutely seated audience. Until the encore. For those last 20 minutes, the floodgates truly opened and I don’t reckon there was an occupied seat in the house. After 25 years, no audience can resist Kerekes Band’s deep grooves – they provided a heat that lasted long into the cold, foggy night ahead.
Photo: Kerekes Band with PásztorHóra live at Müpa Palace of Arts, Budapest, 2020, by Kotschy Gábor.