Free Folk in Brexit Britain
It’s not often that you can say you met someone over a meat cleaver but in the case of Dead Rat Orchestra and Sutari it’s true (performing at the excellent Fano Free Folk Festival in 2017). Not that anyone who knows the work of the UK’s DRO – or for that matter, Poland’s Sutari – should be surprised though. Kindred spirits not only in their approach to free-folk but in their use of unusual objects - including meat cleavers - in their performances. This 7 date UK tour, supported by Arts Council England, saw them join forces to explore the cultural impact of Polish and European migration in England. Performing in locations across England that have been nexus of Polish immigration, and engaging with British, Polish and European communities in those areas, the tour utilised Sutari and DRO’s unique approaches to performing traditional musics to lead audiences in a performative and timely discussion about the cultural impacts of the UK leaving the European Union.
As the tour developed so too did the opportunity for the two groups to collaborate, developing a series of pieces cross pollinated by their approaches and influences. Two videos taken during the later dates illustrate these.
Nathan developed a BBC Radio 4 documentary as the tour progressed, featuring our collaboration using the tuned cleavers. An interview featuring Sutari and DRO can be found here.
DRO and Sutari released a split 7” single to accompany the tour, featuring one song from each group.
Sutari
Exploring the traditions of Polish folk music, Sutari is a trio of singers, instrumentalists and performers, each from different musical and theatrical backgrounds. They use a mixture of traditional instruments (violin, basetla and drum), and also make use of everyday objects, exploring their potential as musical devices (for instance, a hand mixer, grater, bottles and a wrench).
They explore deep vocal harmony traditions, searching for the essence and hidden character of traditional songs, whilst exploring themes of femininity in folklore. The Sutari project is a fusion of diverse music experiences and passions.