The South West is being treated to its fair share of drum events this year with the Bath Rhythm Course in August, the BIMM Night Of Drums on 20 April, and now we are pleased to announce The Birdman, The Baron and The Bat... percussion show as part of the Bath Fringe Festival, taking place at The Inventions Studios in the heart of Bath on Monday 2 June.
The show will be performed by Tony Orrell, Steve Hubback and Matt Nolan. Hubback and Nolan are both expert cymbalsmiths who have been creating cymbals, gongs and intriguing percussive scultures for some years now. You can read a biography on each of the performers below.
The show will include original music that covers Industrial, Folk, Gamelan, Gothic, Fantasy, Ambient, Tribal and Atmospheric, plus amazing visuals and film and live feed projections by Tony Orrell.
Biographies:
Local drumming star Tony Orrell has played, recorded and toured with most of Britain's best jazz musicians
including Andy Sheppard, Keith Tippet, Paul Dunmall and Spirit level. He has also worked with Will Gregory
in Goldfrapp and The Gas Giants. Tony has graced various BBC broadcasts, undertaken European tours, etc.
For some years he has been working as The Birdman of Alkijazz, performing energising music with a
magical/shamanic visual.
Steve Hubback has lived in Europe since 1981 and has toured all over Europe and South Korea (with Lim Dong Chang). Steve led his own groups It's My Head and now Metal Moves. Steve started metalworking in 1990. He invented and pioneered gong and cymbal sculptures in the mid 1990s after a vivid dream in which he saw otherworldly instruments. Steve created the worlds biggest gong in Denmark. He has built sea sculptues,
created pyrotechnic displays with cement mixers and performed on the Large Hot Pipe Organ in Birmingham and Amsterdam in 2007. Steve has put on exhibitions in many countries and his creations are played by Evelyn
Glennie, Carl Palmer, Marilyn Mazur, Paolo Vinaccia, Chris Whitten and Paul Clarvis among others. Steve
has recorded in unconventional places such as a forest, industrial buildings, a cemetary, London Vaults,
a French wine cellar and a Sea going vessel.
Matt Nolan lives and works in Bath. He has played the drums since age 14. Currently providing the beat
behind the Fungus Licks boogie/blues/klezmer trio, he also finds time for more esoteric work in the
playing and creation of one-of-a-kind metal percussion instruments. Inspired by Steve Hubback and some of
the other independent cymbalsmiths from around the world, Matt now forges cymbals, gongs, chimes, cowbells
and the like from various metals using fire, hammers and water. Taking the lead from Steve's work, Matt's
creations also have a very visual aspect to them, fusing organic and geometric forms. Percussionist, Billy
Hulting and drummer, Joe Travers, both from the band Zappa Plays Zappa use Matt's gongs and cowbells.
Performance will start at 10.30pm on Monday 2 June, with doors opening 10pm. You can pick up your tickets from www.bathfestivals.org.uk
