Penryn’s premium post-ragtime, rembetika punk, swing polka klezmer blues trio. Travelling with an unfeasibly large selection of instruments including piano, accordions, violin, drums, bouzouki, bass, banjo and resonator, JULIAN GASKELL & HIS RAGGED TROUSERED PHILANTHROPISTS bring a wild and yet haunting selection of ballads, folk odysseys, history lessons and protest songs to inthrall and entertain.
Julian Gaskell has been causing trouble around Cornwall with various incarnations of his Philanthropists for nearly twenty years. Often accused of sounding like the wrong voice in the wrong century, Gaskell at least attempts to hit some contemporary social and personal nails on the head with his songwriting, and occasionally succeeds in this. In addition to this, the band bring vivid and original arrangements of traditional and vernacular music – broadside ballads, Cornish tunes, klezmer, calypso and blues.
“such originality, intelligence and appeal that the ability to hear seems like a privilege”– Vive le Rock
“a gorgeous folky voice” – BBC Introducing
“he really is an original- declamatory, vulpine vocals ranting and roaring his splendidly acrid, protestful lyrics over a glorious, urgent ramshackle garage blend of Balkan-Klezmerisms and French gypsy cafebilly” – fRoots
