WEDNESDAY March 18th, 8pm - DJANGO CHUTNEY @Arts WIng, GRAND THEATRE

Django Chutney have been described as a virtuosic gypsy-jazz 'manouche et trois', with equal parts due respect for the genre, unruly chaotic energy, and a huge dose of tongue-in-cheek humour.

Combining tightly woven three-part vocal harmonies reminiscent of 30s and 40s American vocal groups the Mill's Brothers and the Ink Spots; ridiculous guitar showoffery that draws as much from Django Reinhardt as it does from Guthrie Govan; Double bass solos that drag Pops Fosters slap technique kicking and screaming into the 21st century; and a repertoire that's seemingly firmly rooted in the 30s Hot Club era, but will suddenly transport you through decades and styles, from New Orleans jazz, to Chicago blues and Parisian Musette, effortlessly, respectfully, but most importantly: with true joie de vivre!

The Brighton based trio have been blowing away audiences since October 2021. A chance meeting of minds and kindred spirits led to an instantaneous connection and a first gig that went on for over 6 hours (and only finished because it was closing time at the bar).

An infectious love of performing - whether its jazz, blues, folk or Black Sabbath - has helped propel this trio into a non-stop run of shows around the festivals, pubs and jazz clubs of the UK, Europe and Japan!

Highlights of their time together include two tours of Japan in 2023 and 2024, playing 10 shows at Glastonbury Festival 2023 (which they estimate to amount to approximately 180,000 notes, played across 10 stages in 3 days, which must be some kind of world record), becoming a regular feature at Broadstairs Folk Week ("I never knew a jazz band could be so popular at a folk festival!" - Broadstairs Folk Week), and making their debut at the Birmingham Jazz and Blues festival in 2024 to delighted audiences.

2025 saw the release of their self-titled debut album with Big Bear Records - the oldest independent record label in the UK - starting with a 2-month release tour featuring some of their favourite UK and European venues.

They have already begun recording their follow up, which is an ambitious collection of recordings made whilst on tour, featuring special guest musicians from around the world that they have had the luck and pleasure of performing with.