Womad

Hotel Palindrone

Folk-drone revivalists with extra pan-European flavour

Hotel Palindrone have been a driving force on the Austrian folk-roots music scene for more than a decade now. What do you mean you didn't know there was an Austrian folk-roots scene? You certainly will after the debut WOMAD performance of these four musicians from the mountainous, land-locked middle of Europe, playing over 20 instruments between them, including bagpipes (from all over the continent and beyond), an Italian mandola, a Swedish nyckelharp, shawm, hurdy-gurdy, jew's harp, e-bass, clarinet and saxophone. Their music refers back some two centuries to the traditions of Alpine drone music, almost wiped out, they complain, by the Vienesse "urban dance music" of Johann Strauss. But they regard themselves as far more than traditionalists preserving a regional heritage, choosing to incorporate French chanson, Breton dances, Galician reels, Balkan madness and other pan-European influences into their repertoire, alongside their own contemporary compositions. Just don't expect them to play The Blue Danube, OK?

Biog by Nigel Williamson