The Trans-Siberian March Band (TSMB) is a London-based Balkan music band. They play the music of the Balkans, and also Russian, Turkish and Klezmer tunes. Their repertoire ranges from the well-known, such as Goran Bregović’s Mesečina, to the obscure. They also write their own material, described by the band as ‘affectionate pastiche’. They are well-known on the London Balkan Music scene, and also have an international reputation due to touring in Eastern Europe. They also have a following in Japan after an appearance on Japanese television.
The band's sound and look
They are not purist in their approach to the music, and believe in mixing up styles and influences to create their sound. They mark the similarities between certain Balkan-style rhythms and ska, and include ska versions of Balkan tunes, such as their arrangement of Šaban Bajramović’s Buba Maro, from the Emir Kusturica film Black Cat, White Cat, which they have renamed Ska Maro, and of the Klezmer standard Golden Khassene, renamed Kompletely Khassene. They are prominent on London’s Balkan scene of bands playing what can be broadly described as Gypsy music. They have a brass-based sound, rather than one featuring violins, cimbalom, accordion or other instruments that could be classed as typical of this kind of music. With this approach, they follow a tradition established by leading Balkan music lights Fanfare Ciocărlia, the Boban Marković Band and the Kočani Orkestar, rather than, for example, violin pioneers Taraf de Haïdouks. A closer comparison is with the 3 Mustaphas 3, the London Balkan band from the 1980s, while a Time Out review described them as 'the Sex Pistols of Balkan Brass'. Their line-up features a front line of 3 trumpets, 2 clarinets, and 1 alto saxophone and a back line of 2 tubas, 1 bass trombone, 1 tenor trombone, 1 guitar and 2 percussionists playing, variously, a darabouka, cymbals, a davoul and a snare drum. They have also included a French horn, a violin and a mandola in their line up. To begin their gigs, the band often march while playing. This spectacle, the band usually playing battle marches from the Ottoman Janissaries’ repertoire, draws attention to the event. During the march, one of the trumpeters plays an ancient Greek instrument called a salpinx.
Band members of both genders cross-dress as part of their act. They present a cartoonish Soviet image, though they are not politically affiliated or oriented towards Soviet-style ideologies. The band costumes have included showgirl-type outfits, a Russian sailor, a Yugoslav Pioneer girl scout, a baboushka, a Russian cyclist, outlandish hats, wigs and dresses, and garish make-up.
Appearances
The TSMB play on London's Balkan and burlesque scene, in dedicated venues or one-off Balkan nights, pubs, clubs and masked balls. They also play outside London. They have played many festivals, including Glastonbury (2009), Secret Garden (2009), Lovebox (2009 and 2011), the Henley Festival (2010) and the Thames Festival (2010). They also played in the Royal Festival Hall as part of Bandstand Busking (2010). Other high-profile appearances they have made include the Playgroup Festival, the Out of the Ordinary Festival, Extraordinary Voices at the Barbican, and Bestival and the Chalk Farm Roundhouse, in collaboration with Duncan Beiny, DJ Yoda. As of 2021 TSMB are readdressing their musical and community roots, after the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. They played at the Bloomsbury Festival in October 2021.
Residency at Rich Mix Cultural Foundation 2013-2016
In 2013, the band began a residency at the Rich Mix venue in London's Shoreditch area, which continued into 2016. Once a month the band curated a free-entry evening at the venue, which featured other bands - not always limited to the Balkan scene - music and dance workshops and an appearance from the band itself.