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“But better than both was the Trans-Siberian March Band, a 13-piece Balkan brass ensemble of flamboyantly dressed Londoners, who played a hugely entertaining collaborative show with the hip-hop turntable virtuoso DJ Yoda. Lively and witty, they proved to be perfect festival crowd-pleasers.” – The Times, WOMAD 2012 review

“Lovechild of the Village People and the Salvation Army” – Flying Seagull Project

“Balkan Ska meets Ottoman Battle-Punk in The Trans-Siberian’s obscenely infectious brass blow-out” - Time Out

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The Trans-Siberian March Band is a London-based, 13-piece Balkan Brass Band. Formed in 2007, the group’s flamboyant, high-energy performances have earned them an established reputation on the Balkan, burlesque and festival scene both in the UK and beyond. A borderless bag of musical styles (“Oompah meets ska with a hint of transvestite punk”) includes the band’s own take on Klezmer, Turkish, Russian and Latin tunes. Explosive and unique, TSMB’s shows present a lively mix of originals and traditional dance tunes made to get the audience on their feet. A fearsome blend of clarinets, brass, percussion and vocals the Trans-Siberian March Band also look as loud as they sound, with ever-stranger costumes guaranteeing an always spectacular and memorable performance.

2012 saw TSMB tour a collaboration with renowned hip-hop turntable master DJ Yoda, taking a truly original show first to Camden’s Roundhouse and then to festival audiences at WOMAD, Camp Bestival, and the main stages of Shambala and Kendal Calling. Completing the band’s busiest year yet were performances at the Royal Festival Hall, Kensington Palace, Islington’s Union Chapel and at a host of one-off Balkan nights at parties, clubs, burlesque venues and masked balls. 2013 started with a tour of Scotland, and continues with gigs at Balkan nights in London, and taking the show with DJ Yoda back on the road to Glastonbury, Standon Calling, and Bestival. For bookings please contact donald@tsmb.co.uk

The band has enjoyed previous performances at:

Glastonbury, WOMAD, The Royal Festival Hall, Bestival, Camp Bestival, Secret Garden Party, Kensington Palace, Shambala, Kendal Calling, The Thames Festival, Union Chapel, HMV Kentish Town Forum, Henley Festival, The Barbican Centre, The National Theatre, Rich Mix, Last Tuesday Society events, Camden Roundhouse, Meltdown Festival.

Tours through Austria, Hungary, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro and Georgia.

What do people say?

“The Sex Pistols of Balkan Brass” – Time out

(On our support slot for Mahala Rai Banda) – “But first up we were treated to homegrown Balkan boogie merchants The Trans-Siberian March Band. You wouldn’t think that a band that raided the dressing-up box with such carefree abandon, or ran a mid-set competition that required audience members to “dance like a horse”, would particularly appeal to a self-consciously cool Shoreditch crowd. But this lot lapped it up, bouncing around like it was two in the morning (it was 8.30 in the evening) to their mix of Klezmer, Balkan, Turkish and Russian songs. The fact that the band were so tight and punchy obviously helped (with that punch being reinforced by the fact they had not one, but two tuba players) as did a nifty mash-up or two. You’ve not lived until you’ve heard a Balkan brass take on “The Final Countdown”-meets-“The James Bond Theme”. – www.theartsdesk.com

“DJ Yoda & the Trans-Siberian March Band (10/10) provide the most audacious festival set 2012 will bear witness to. They blend Yoda’s supreme mixing skills with brass throughout a set which doffs its cap to dub step, Dr Dre, Tetris, 80s pop and the Inspector Gadget theme tune. It shouldn’t work but it’s an outrageous triumph for all concerned.” – www.virtualfestivals.com

“Tonight’s performance is another first for the Roundhouse, as DJ Yoda is joined by the Trans Siberian March Band, a joyful gaggle of brightly-dressed eccentrics. As House Of Pain’s Jump Around immediately gets the crowd whooping, the band then joins in on brass before taking over for a gypsy-style oompah-frenzy which Yoda scratches gleefully over the top of.” – Ian Roullier, www.musicOMH.com

“Balkan ska meets Ottoman battle punk in The Trans-Siberian’s obscenely infectious brass blow-out” - Time out

“A VERY BIG THANK YOU to the whole band for your wonderful performances at the weekend!! It was fantastic having you be a part of the Street Party and the Barbican programme and I had a great time watching you in Whitecross Street…” – Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, Director, Home Live Art

“Riotous 12-piece Balkan ska dudes” - Time out

“Rob Da Bank once again stayed loyal to some of the acts that have been with the festival from its early stages this year. Beardyman was given a slot on the main stage and DJ Yoda was given a set at the Roller Disco, which may not have been the ‘mother of all roller discos’ that was promised, but was surely one of the highlights of the weekend. Seeing a hip-hop DJ collaborate with a 13 piece Trans-Siberian March Band at roller disco is something you wont see at many festivals.” – www.Pugwashnews.com on Bestival 2011

“At times you can’t believe your eyes or ears as Yoda merges the theme from Tetris with militant techno before beat juggling dubstep with the visuals from 2001 as Katy B’s On a Mission segues into CBeebies kids fave Timmy the Sheep. It’s an episode where the farm animals are having it large at their own rave as we cut to a 80s ad for fruit drink Umbongo soundtracked by drum and bass. Bonkers. And all of this punctuated by the staccato parps and freestyle riffs of epic brass provided by the Trans-Siberian March Band which work a treat on a 007 sequence that has the audience punching the air.” – Loaded Magazine

“We reunited in Sarajevo for more TSMB, who sent Sarajevan crowds wild with their gigs. Locals came to both nights (it must have been good) and the place was on fire with lots of dancing” – SupaNova KorfBall

“And then there’s the Trans Siberian March Band. Bloody brilliant. Oompah meets ska with a hint of transvestite punk. We danced and marched and toe-tapped our feet sore” – The Londonist Sept 14 2008

“If you like Fanfare Ciocarlia you will love TSMB, they also play quite frequently with DJ Yoda, but this gig was amazing, proper 100% Balkan Bangers.” - JosephWhite001 Youtube Comment

“If they were playing in my garden, I’d shoo them away with a brush” - (Glastonbury festival forum) – Anon.

Meet the band…