Vardos

Driven by Alana's wild violin, chased by accordion and double bass, Vardos enchant with their theatrical and lively interpretations of traditional Hungarian and Romanian music. Formed in Perth in 1993, Vardos is now Melbourne based, regularly making trips to Eastern Europe to study with folk and Roma (gypsy) musicians. This stunning trio has serenaded audiences around Australia, and have also toured to New Caledonia, New Zealand, Switzerland and Hungary. Vardos had successful shows at the Famous Spiegeltent in the Edinburgh Fringe and Edinburgh International Book Festival in 2003 and 2004, where they appeared on Scottish television and the BBC News, and were nominated for the 2003 BBC Radio3 World Music Awards."With stagecraft that is equal parts formation dancing, martial arts and Keystone Cops, the violin-accordion-double bass trio play with formidable panache... Vardos don't hold back. They give the tumbling, compound-time dances and slow airs... both barrels and not a few of Hunt's bow hairs." **** (The Herald, Edinburgh 2004)Vardos made a cameo appearance on the popular series "Seachange", and featured in "Painted Lady", a film about artist Vali Myers, shown on SBS. The band recorded a Transylvanian-inspired version of Kylie Minogue's "I should be lucky" for the compilation CD "This is the Place for a Song" which was nominated for an Aria award for Best World Music Album in 2005. Recent performances in Australia include the Falls Festival, Lorne, Victoria, Arts Village, and the Spiegeltent, Melbourne. The first Vardos CD was recorded in Budapest, Hungary in 1999, and their second CD, "Entertaining Countess Dracula" and third CD "Wild side of the Village" were launched at the Famous Spiegeltent, Melbourne, 2002 and 2006. "Alana Hunts soaring violin, Indra Buraczewskas slapped double bass and Sofia Chapmans supple accordion combine on a collection of 17 Hungarian and Romanian tunes and songs that show us that their frequent visits to Eastern Europe have made them a truly exciting band." (Lucky Oceans, The Planet, 9 May 2006)