On Friday 16 December a pan-Balkan contingent and friends will descend on Parish Hall at 52 James Street Northcote where an evening of musical delight will be held for patrons to share and revel in their cultural traditions.

Attendees can expect a showing from Greek, Serbian and Bulgarian dance troupes as well as an invitation to don their best shoes and have a crack themselves no doubt to cries of ‘opa’ throughout the hall.

Among the performers are Totally Kicking Brass (TKB) a Greek outfit serving up folk brass-band stylings of Northern Greek provenance, a form known as ‘Halkina’ and apparently, they’re the only ones in town still playing the tunes.

Native to the Macedonian town of Florina and surrounds, it’s characterised by intricate clarinet melodies propelled by brass and percussion accompaniment at complex time signatures.

The group’s clarinetist, George Athanasakos says “Personally I’m very grateful to have a ‘parea’ (group) who are able to do what we do, this music… you can’t do it alone and it’s very special to do it with friends.”

“I’ve known George Kiriakidis since I was very young and to be on stage with him and his son that’s not something you can force, it’s an organic thing,” says Athanasakos to Neos Kosmos.

“We’re just all in the same place, at the same time, wanting to do the same thing. It’s beautiful that we can carry on these traditions here in Australia.”

All of TKB’s musicians are second and third generation Greek Australians, bound together by a deep passion for the music and dance of their people.

Kiriakidis, the bands horn player, says having spent much of his youth as part of various dance groups, the transition to becoming an instrumentalist was gradual, but natural.

“I started experimenting with various instruments and eventually started lending local groups a hand with live performances,” he says.

“It’s become a nurturing experience for me… even still people ask how many instruments I play properly and I tell them none… except the ‘Laterna’ (a barrel piano which plays itself with the turn of a crank),” George laughs.

“This music knows no borders, and that’s what I teach my kids… there’s no ‘ours’ and ‘theirs’, when it comes to the music, it’s something we all share.”

TKB performs alongside Joseph Tsompanopoulos, a third generation Greek Australian who also spent his formative years dancing in the Pan-Macedonian dance group before going on to teach his own ensemble; a self-taught musician and multi-instrumentalist.

At the event he’ll be treating audiences to his affinity for the ‘Gaida’, the Balkan variety of bagpipes with an history tracing its origins to the ancient tribes of Thrace.

And finally, ‘Opa Bato’, billeted as Australia’s only ‘Trubacki Orkestar’ performing authentic contemporary Balkan brass informed by the rich traditions of the region’s north.

Described as a fusion of the music cultures of Europe and Asia minor, composer and performer Dušan Mitrović founded the trumpet orchestra to showcase the cross-cultural hybrid developed over centuries for the Australian scene.

An amalgam of performers with roots hailing from the world over, the members of ‘Opa Bato’ bring expertise and experience from a range of styles and cultural backgrounds, from Indonesia to Norway and a spread of countries in-between.

Dušan was short and sweet when asked if he had anything to tell prospective listeners:

“You better come, because it’s gonna be fun.”

When: 16 December, 8:30pm

Where: 52 James Street Northcote

Pricing & Tickets: $35 via https://venuedoor.com/aus/event/balkanblowers/ or ring Nick: 0407-844-486

Watch TKB perform at this year’s Antipodes festival below: