The last couple of years have seen Mzaza tirelessly touring the country, but this energetic world music band is looking forward to hitting the road once again in June and July on a tour that will see them join huge festival line ups and play at one of the biggest events in their home state.

Mzaza is a mystery. This unique and talented group from Brisbane presents a show like no other made up of powerful, sultry multilingual vocals backed by acoustic instruments from faraway places. Jaw-dropping technique and unique compositions have earned them recognition and led them to tour their world fusion across Australia.

While gypsy music becomes all the rage and bands around the world pump Eastern European beats this six piece takes a big step towards originality. Mzaza sets itself apart with its approach to music, its blend of influences and its unusual instrumentation. French frontwoman Pauline Maudy says, “Mzaza has never been about following the trend. We let the music guide us and hope to create a show that transports audiences away from their everyday lives and closer to a world where all these beautiful sound traditions are within reach. We want the shows to be fun and we love it when people dance, but we also cherish the moments when everything stops and it’s clear that we are all transported on the same musical adventure.”

Heading for the steep slopes of The Perisher Snowy Mountains of Music Festival, Mzaza are joining Blue King Brown and many others on the festival’s massive world music line-up. This tour will see the band visit Sydney, Byron Bay, the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast and Brisbane, culminating in a very special show presented by the prestigious Queensland Music Festival at one of the band’s favourite home venues - the Brisbane Powerhouse.

Maudy sings in French, Spanish, and Turkish. Together with her mischievous and talented instrumentalists she creates an atmosphere of carefully crafted words and sounds, a unique fusion of influences from the Mediterranean, the Balkans and the Middle-East.

The universal nature of the songs and the energy of the performances make fans forget they may not speak the languages Mzaza’s songs are delivered in and bring audience and musicians together as one. Mzaza’s songs are inspired by tradition. These traditions are then placed in a blender and what comes out is often touching, playful, alluring, and never boring. Don’t miss an opportunity to see them!

Variously described as Garage Cabaret, Gypsy Punk, and Gangster Jazz, Waiting for Guinness has been playing the Sydney pub/club scene for years.  They may be one of the best dressed too.  The band features up to seven pieces including banjo, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, accordion, guitaron (Mexican bass), flute, guitars and drums.

In the tradition of artists such as Tom Waits, Calexico and The Pogues, Waiting for Guinness take their nourishment from ‘old music’ and hot-wire the styles of Berlin Cabaret, Mariachi, Vaudeville, Spaghetti Western and Swing-Jazz into their own surreal vision.

In concert, Waiting for Guinness’ spontaneous and anarchic performances are truly engaging.  The theatrical element is as strong as ever, harking back to their busking origins.  A fan once said “WFG make old music sound new somehow,” and they may have a point.  The band are not traditionalists trying to re-create the past, but write contemporary and original music influenced by the styles they love.