The Harp, The Accordion and The Ugly, an international outfit who aim to recreate the magic of early cinema, where live music was the norm.

Multi-cultural group creates a magic mix of music and movies

Jimi McDonnell

Connacht Tribune

Galway based multi-cultural seven piece, The Harp, The Accordion and The Ugly will bring their intriguing show involving music and cinema to Monroe’s Live on December 17, to Johnston’s Hall, Kinvara, on December 20 and to Campbell’s Tavern, Cloughanover, on December 23.

Accordion player Luca Verga explains how the show works. “It’s going to be vintage style silent movies, edited by Javi (Gil), with a seven-piece band playing a live soundtrack,” he says.

“It’s a one hour-and-twenty-minute show without breaks. The audience can really sit down, relax and travel in the music and the movies. The goal is to bring back the atmosphere of the beginning of the cinema, when you had the movie on the screen and a band live on the stage.”

The other members of The Harp, The Accordion and The Ugly are Annie Chambers (harp), Juliana Erkkonen (violin), Dylan Gully (clarinet), Moises Mas Garcia (percussion), László Pásztor (double bass) and Luca Brembilla (classical guitar). It’s fair to say they’re an international bunch. “We met altogether on the street last summer. We started busking, and because of the reaction we decided to set up a band,” says Juliana, who hails from Finland and has been living in Galway for nine years.

For more, see this week’s Connacht Tribune