Super Rats

From diverse and colourful strands – Ottoman court music, raw Balkan peasant folk, the legendary inventiveness of Roma (gypsy) musicians, a handful of tango and jazz – Super Rats weave a magic carpet to whisk you away to other times and places. At the heart of the band is the cimbalom – a ramshackle 145-stringed Austro-Hungarian contraption that sounds like the offspring of a honkytonk piano and a xylophone. Blistering accordion, sinuous violin, and thumping double bass complete this award-winning group. Band leader and Australia’s ‘chief cimbalom nerd’ Tim Meyen studied with master traditional musicians in Romania for over a decade before assembling a hand-picked crew to present this rich tradition in Australia. From WOMADelaide festival stages to underground bars, they careen through authentic muzică lăutarească with panache, humour and dedication, sure to please curious ears.