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About The Destroyers
Unapologetically complex and joyful, The Destroyers have been colliding world musics for nearly 20 years. Their behemothic sound is a chaotic cacophony of klezmer, Balkan and British folk. With twelve truly exceptional musicians from Birmingham their explosive and virtuosic live show needs to be seen to be believed.
Faustian fiddles, whirlwinds of woodwinds, braying brass, raucousness from the rhythm section, and salvos from the sousaphone destroy inhibitions and leave audiences bewildered, transported, beguiled, and wild. These tenacious, travelling troubadours have liberated ears, hearts, and minds at…
The Commonwealth Games - BBC One | Glastonbury | WOMAD | Boomtown Fair | Secret Garden Party | Fire in the Mountain | Shambala | Cambridge Folk Festival | Gate to Southwell | Underneath the Stars | Nozstock Hidden Valley | Knockengorroch | Sidmouth Folk Week | Buskers Bern (SW) | Penabilli (IT) | Waterford Spraoi (IE), and many, many more.
FFO: Golgol Bordello, Balkan Beatbox, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Tankus The Henge, Edward II, Fairport Convention, Sheelanagig, Ara Malikian, The Rin Tins, Bellowhead, 3 Daft Monkeys.
Also featured on Sky Arts TV, and plays on BBC One, BBC Radio 2, 3, and 6 Music.
Promoter Page
(EPK, tech spec, media downloads, high-res photos)
That this onlooker found himself singing along to the words of tracks despite hearing them for the first time is testament to the band’s magnificent live show, full of inventiveness and recalling the protest spirt of a quarter of a century ago.
nightshiftmag.co.uk
| Rob Langham
And so, out of the inane cavalcade of Balkan Gypsy sound-alikes comes a blow-your-mind original... Minimum pretence and maximum style: Out Of Babel is a sophisticated tour de force.
Songlines
| Lemez Lovas
The sort of rogues who would take you out for a night, fill you full of mead, strip you to your underwear and then tie you to a lamp-post.
BBC 6Music
| Steve Lamacq
Stomping leads and chilling strings set a sinister tone for the record; its shady upbeat vibe raises an eyebrow to a Latin influence before elbowing its traditional Irish music influence, meaning this is a seductively dangerous and unique listen.
Clash Magazine
| Anna Meacham
I can give you a simple truth: The Destroyers could well be the best band you hear this year. Without a doubt, they’re certainly one of the most interesting acts the UK has seen in a long time. Go out and buy this album. You won’t regret it.
stereokill.net
| Marcus Kernohan
Rarely does an album come along that can be called unique; not just in its style, instrumentation and lyrics, but with a force that almost defies description. 'Out Of Babel' is one. From Paul Murphy's deep, resonant monotone on the opening 'Utopia Bypass', you know this is not going to be any run-of-the-mill album. And boy, it isn't.
allgigs.co.uk
| Alex Litton
Grab the album whenever it comes out and see them live the first chance you get...
musoguide.com
| Kenny McMurtrie
The Destroyers have a hell of a billing from the compere but more than live up to it-they truly are 'insane', 'chaotic' and 'absolutely menkle', but then can a 15-piece polka orchestra led by a short grandad in a fez who talks like a pirate be anything else?
Glastonbury Review Special
| Q Magazine
The Destroyers’ sound is so wildly compulsive that the entire crowd quickly succumbed, and the entire room became a blur of motion and sound, the wooden floor creaking in time to the frenzied strings and wailing brass... The Destroyers are touring the country... and you owe it to the primal, uninhibited part of yourself to experience the frenetic glory of their live show.
stereokill.net
| Marcus Kernohan
A 15-piece outfit of exceptional technical quality which plays a rich blend of Balkan folk music, jazz, Celtic and other influences.
The Birmingham Post
| Terry Grimley
The euphoric audience gave the show a huge standing ovation and who could not fail to be lifted by the show? The Destroyers are utterly contemporary and cutting edge and almost frightening in their creativity, but they manage to balance this with being totally accessible and appealing to the masses.
Night-Times
Not to be confused with any other band called the Destroyers, these are the current hot bulgars! Don’t be afraid, check them out and have a good time.
Fly Global Music
| Gerry Hectic
Brilliant gypsy jazz mentalism, certainly one of the finest midlands groups playing today.
The Metro
Aaron Diaz
| TubaAaron Diaz
TubaLike the rest of us, Aaron's face is made of skin, sinew, muscle and bone. It is purely happenstance that in photos he …
Dan Wilkins
| Electric GuitarDan Wilkins
Electric GuitarDan is as much at home playing the washboard in an old south style as he is at Tuvan throat singing and making his own …
Jamie Fekete
| Guitar, MandolinJamie Fekete
Guitar, MandolinJamie dresses smartly, stays sober after gigs to drive the minibus home, and usually wins when he plays chess with …
Katie Stevens
| ClarinetKatie Stevens
ClarinetKatie is a great believer in the natural healing properties of the clarinet. (Gently boil with a spoon of rosehip oil …
Max Gittings
| Flutes, Whistles, Duduk, HulusiMax Gittings
Flutes, Whistles, Duduk, HulusiMax really loves folk music. I mean, I love folk music. We all love folk music. But Max REALLY loves it. A lot. He …
Nick Jurd
| BassNick Jurd
BassAccording to Nick, wisdom and foolishness are "kind of the same thing, really".Does this mean Nick is wise? Or …
Pete Churchill
| AccordionPete Churchill
AccordionPete is currently heartbroken because his beautiful new accordion was cruelly stolen from him. He did leave it on his …
Rob Spalton
| TrumpetRob Spalton
TrumpetRob, our clever, cunning and incredible clairvoyant, is the 2019 tiddlywink world champion, and is rather fond of …
Sam Woo
| TrumpetSam Woo
TrumpetVerily, Samuel Wooster is a man of contrasts. His tattoed exterior belies a kind, sensitive underbelly, as revealed …
Sarah Farmer
| FiddleSarah Farmer
FiddleSarah plays the violin.
Seth Bye
| FiddleSeth Bye
FiddleSeth is the youngster of the Destroyers pack and was raised in the forest by a herd of fiddle bows. They all lived in a …
Tim Bowes
| DrumsTim Bowes
DrumsTim likes strong cheese. In fact, when he is not playing the drums with us, he participates in a competitive endurance …
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Aaron Diaz
Tuba
Like the rest of us, Aaron's face is made of skin, sinew, muscle and bone. It is purely happenstance that in photos he sometimes looks as if he is made of plasticine. Do not be taken in! He is not, in fact, a product of the fevered imagination of a stop-frame animator.He is a sentient being with hopes and dreams, fears and aspirations.
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Dan Wilkins
Electric Guitar
Dan is as much at home playing the washboard in an old south style as he is at Tuvan throat singing and making his own fretless banjos.He can levitate at will and has mastered the arts of telekinesis and egg-blowing.
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Jamie Fekete
Guitar, Mandolin
Jamie dresses smartly, stays sober after gigs to drive the minibus home, and usually wins when he plays chess with Leighton.He likes making furniture out of scaffolding poles, which sounds a bit weird to me, but I suppose he knows what he's doing.A virtuoso flamenco specialist, Jamie claims that in flamenco music, beat 12 is actually the first beat, and beat 1 is the second beat. Like, the upbeat is actually the downbeat. According to Jamie, this would make perfect sense if only we could understand what he is even on about.
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Katie Stevens
Clarinet
Katie is a great believer in the natural healing properties of the clarinet. (Gently boil with a spoon of rosehip oil for a relaxing night time tea.)Katie has many projects on the go at most times. Watch out for the release of her new youtube channel ‘Roller-skatie in 7/8ie’ - for those wishing to improve their clarinet technique whilst mastering traditional Bulgarian folklore steps on roller skates.
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Max Gittings
Flutes, Whistles, Duduk, Hulusi
Max really loves folk music. I mean, I love folk music. We all love folk music. But Max REALLY loves it. A lot. He still drinks tea out of the same black and white mug with celtic swirls on it that was his favourite mug when I first knew him in 1997.He is also a bit of a ladies' man.
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Nick Jurd
Bass
According to Nick, wisdom and foolishness are "kind of the same thing, really".Does this mean Nick is wise? Or foolish? Or, kind of both, really?
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Pete Churchill
Accordion
Pete is currently heartbroken because his beautiful new accordion was cruelly stolen from him. He did leave it on his front doorstep before going to bed, but still. What is the world coming to when a kind and good man like Pete has his accordion stolen?Pete also has a dead dog on display on the wall of his house but if you saw it you'd understand, as it is no bigger than a cat, and is tastefully and artistically presented.Don't let the dead dog thing distract you from the stolen accordion thing.
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Rob Spalton
Trumpet
Rob, our clever, cunning and incredible clairvoyant, is the 2019 tiddlywink world champion, and is rather fond of bourbons. Raised by badgers, he is oft found wandering moonlit fells reminiscing of his lost ironing board.For a free and wildly inaccurate foretelling, come to a gig. Approach with caution and do not make eye contact. Slippery when wet.
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Sam Woo
Trumpet
Verily, Samuel Wooster is a man of contrasts. His tattoed exterior belies a kind, sensitive underbelly, as revealed during his occasional bouts of dulcet crooning.
When he’s not gigging with us, Sam likes to make garlic butter and minimalist techno.
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Seth Bye
Fiddle
Seth is the youngster of the Destroyers pack and was raised in the forest by a herd of fiddle bows. They all lived in a small nest made from the beards of old men at folk festivals.
The days were warm and long, filled with Jigs and Reels. But surviving in the forest was a difficult time… every night when the clock struck midnight, the blood sucking Hornpipes emerged and caused havoc across the land. The only way to defeat these bandits to was to wield a distastefully wide vibrato and straighten out their dotted rhythms.
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Tim Bowes
Drums
Tim likes strong cheese. In fact, when he is not playing the drums with us, he participates in a competitive endurance cheese-eating society called 'gout club'. The objective of this "gout club" is to eat cheese until diagnosed with gout.He's smashing on the drums though.
Summer 2025
| Jul 4 | Hare & Hounds | Kings Heath, Birmingham | Tickets |
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