There’s a great – and very different – evening of musical entertainment at Clayhidon in January when the Bristol-based band Fromage en Feu bring their brand of jazzy, gypsy, world music to the local region on Saturday 26 January.
This talented six-piece group of crazies are all named after cheeses and promise to deliver an evening of high tempo, tongue-in-cheek musical humour with a strong Balkan flavour and “something approaching complete abandonment”.
“Oompah mayhem” was how a Guardian critic described them.
They promise to “play at speeds we can barely maintain, use ludicrous accents we can barely maintain and dress sharply – or not at all. Like the old Camembert left in a suitcase for a month, ours will be the ripest, fruitiest tunes at the peak of potency. “Henceforth let les amoureux de Fromage UNITE! You have nothing to lose but your inhibitions, sobriety, clothes or your sanity.”
Apparently, the band was formed on a ferry from France to England, when clarinettist Bobby Cheddar was playing a Jewish melody and Jan van der Gouda picked up his trumpet and began to play along. For a flavour of what these pungent cheeses offer watch them switch from slow to frenetic at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival on this clip.
The gig starts at 8pm (doors open at 7.30). Tickets are £10. To reserve, call Caroline Bendle on 01823 681047 or email carouselle@bt internet.co. There’ll be a licensed bar and supper at £5 a head for those who book.