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The Bell in June
Walcot International Music festival

Sun.7 lunchtime
Ravnica
Serbian band covering a little Gipsy Jazz, and, we’re hoping a lot of real-deal Serbian music on unusual traditional instruments. Everyone we know who’s seen them (and that includes some of our fave bands round here) was loving it.

Mon.8
Telling The Bees
Some of yer actual Wyrd Folk from around Oxford somewhere: various members have been seen consistently around the very best pagan bonfires for the last decade, and also include something of an academic authority on fungi - I think you’ll know which ones...

Back to Normal?

Wed.10
Zen Hussies
Face it, there’s really not going to be a let-up till the end of the summer, now, so let’s carry on as we fully intend, with arguably the best party band to have propped up the bar in here for decades. It’s a shame we don’t see so much of them nowadays, but we can all make up for it tonight! Ska meets trad meets considerable eccentricity.

Sun.14 lunchtime
Pura Vida Quartet
A more laid-back (but, hey, it’s a summer afternoon) version of the song-centred Latinators; unlike some of the competition, the rhythm stays strong even when it’s quiet...

Mon.15
Joan Davis
Queen Bee of Bath Jazz whose influence stretches far far wider: Joan can always call on seriously stellar sidemen, and she actually gets the London gigs that the rest of the locals just dream about. Sheer quality!

Wed.17
Polly & The Billets-Doux
...To another end of the Jazz Vocal spectrum. Hope Polly doesn’t mind the J-word: it’s utterly justified for the quality and control in her voice, but the band are far more like the smart end of the indie-into-acoustic thing. If I’ve just mentioned your three least favourite kinds of music you’ll probably love this lot anyway: class always shows!

Sun.21 lunchtime
Dan James’ Be Bop Da Jig Quartet
Folk Jazz & Blues, he says, which pretty much covers most of the bases: Dan was part of Firebrand, who used to go down very well here as elsewhere, but he’s been playing jazz just as much and just as long, so the fusion was just waiting there to be had. Frontline stuff!

Mon.22
Blackberry Wood
Fresh from Vancouver, Canada, it’s country-rock if you look at it from some angles, but it’s got brass and accordion, so you’d be better off thinking of the more magnificent alt-country orchestras, as well as an upbeat good time. They’re on their way to Glastonbury’s Shangri-La, so that ought to indicate what to expect, too!

Weds.24
Deva
Staying international: Deva’s members live in France & Spain as well as Blighty, and their music is strongly Indian-flavoured. Stunning musicianship and the imagination to take the traditional sounds a good deal further than the rest, this is one special band.

Sun. 28 lunchtime
Groanbox Boys
A lot of the staff are cursing this booking: one of our very favourite bands on tour from the US, and several of us are away at a certain weekend party event. The rest of you should catch this and cherish it: Blues it may be, but played on accordion and eccentric toys, and owing more to Tom Waits and the real roots of acoustic blues than to your average guitar-twiddler.

Mon. 29
Morph
Specially for those of you who either missed Glassdomglassdom or who are mentally still right there: there are trancey grooves, there are ethnic instruments, there’s a total barefoot dancing vibe about this bunch of Aussie party animals. Take the festivals back home with you!

Coming soon:
Weds. July 1st: The Duckworths (Bath)
July 6: Lunaloop (Oz)
July 8: Sinviola (Argentina)
July 12: Miners’ Club (Oz/GB)