Concert Review: Yurt Party – Thirsty Dog February 26, 2021
We get our Yurt on at The Thirsty Dog as Yurt Party travel up from Christchurch to get Auckland dancing on this Friday night on K’rd.
What, I hear you say, is a Yurt? A quick Google reveals it is a portable, round tent used initially in Mongolia. But, don’t worry, there is indeed a Pacific Yurt.
On this night Yurt Party is Tom Harris (keys & accordion), Lorenze Weston-Salzer (violin), Thomas Isbister (drums) and Rachael Travaille on the sax.
The band describes their sound as Balkan Beats: European folk music liberally mixed with “dub, electronic, Latin and Afro beats”.
I’ll call it “Balkan roll”.
The band hit the stage at 9pm and the cozy Thirsty Dog was immediately transformed into an Eastern European dance hall.
Legs and arms flailed in the crowd as the drums pummeled away on opening number Dave’s Tribal.
“How are we doing?” Tom Harris demanded to know in a voice that can only be described as boisterous.
The crowd was growing and on their feet as the quartet slid into Sleepstraat, inspired by Scotland apparently, with Rachel honking away on her sax.
The dancing continues as Yippity hit a percussive polka beat.
The mood quieted slightly during Del Rey, then picked up for the galloping Aracnul.
Neither the band or the audience showed sigs of letting up.
45 minutes into this first set, Tom called out, “Do we take a break or blast through?”
The vote was unanimous…and they blasted through with Opa Tzupa, again propelled but the tribal thumping of Thomas Isbister.
The set careened to its conclusion with Hoi Palloi, then Miner’s Creek (inspired by the South Island goldrush), then Peastraw Thief and finally a bi of Hypervigilance.
With Lockdown at Level 3 all week, we can only hope to see and hear more live music like this as the year goes on.
I’m sure the second set was excellent, but after over an hour, I needed to get my Yurt home.
Marty Duda
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Yurt Party Setlist:
- Dave’s Tribal
- Sleepstraat
- Yippity
- Del Rey
- Aracnul
- Turkish Honga
- Salty Tango
- Opa Tzupa
- Hoi Polloi
- Miner’s Creek
- Peastraw Thief
- Hypervigilance
