The Orkestra del Sol of the Garden Party

With their second full length release - The Moveable Feast - about to be released, Auld Reekie’s rampant mavericks Orkestra del Sol are in top spirits, which bodes very well for audiences from here to China. And more specifically, the audience for their album launch gig at The Queen's Hall on Sunday 18th May.

“The first album was all covers, but this one is all our own tunes,” explains Sousaphonist Marcus of their sophomore effort. “We weren't sure how it would all hang together - I mean, there are eight different people writing songs for a band of ten - but it all comes together really well and it sounds great. We're really pleased with it. It's been a lot more fun playing songs that are all our own.” Accordionist Ogz chips in: “It's really exciting, there's a great feeling about the whole thing.”

Renowned for not just outrageously fun music which combines the chaotic horn romps of Balkan collectives such as Taraf de Haidouks with the sweeping sultry footwork of Latin carnival music, zouk and funk, their live shows are also imbibed with a great sense of slapstick shtick. “Every time we play, something happens that's never happened before and all those jokes and characters accumulate,” Marcus says. “So the more we play, the more elaborate the shows become.”

“A lot of the best tricks and jokes happen by accident,” Ogz muses. “As long as you're all in the right headspace then you deal with it and you make it funny, or you just make it part of the show.” Too true: audiences are whipped into a stomping mayhem that threatens to shake venues apart when Orkestra del Sol play. “Quite often when we arrange a tune we do ask ourselves if that'll make people go mental or not,” says Ogz of the troupe’s formula.

“I used to do a lot of electronic music production and DJing,” offers Marcus, “and there's definitely that influence in how the songs are arranged in terms of builds, breaks and drops.” As well as this musical maelstrom they perform, the band cut a striking onstage image in their matching black and red suits. They also pride themselves on being entirely portable, with even the drummers wandering around the audience with their kit hanging over their shoulders. “We are the moveable feast,” says Marcus.

“It's quite visceral and quite different to a normal folk gig,” Ogz tells me. “Sometimes it's hard to balance the theatricality and making people laugh along with the music. But we're not just playing songs and have thought a lot about the other elements of performance. That's personally something I like being appreciated for.” And it is something the band carry off with aplomb; providing laughs and an irresistible reason to dance, the Orkestra del Sol are a joy to behold.