With the Balkan Trafik festival only a matter of weeks away and a short train ride from London it seems like a good excuse to step out of the M25 and get  excited about whats coming up at this year’s celebration of the finest in Balkan music.

First up; Romanian harmonica and bass trio Zmei Trei.

Romania has always had strong links to Western-Europe, an island of romantic language in a sea of Slavic so it comes as no major surprise that these self-proclaimed folklorists bowl out nimble jazz that wouldn’t sound out of place on the streets of Paris.
Frontman, Ioan Constantin wields a large and ungainly chromatic harmonica but manages to produce subtle, gentle melodies which float across a range of Balkan influences as a chord harmonica coughs away rhythmically in the background.
Whilst the tunes offer little of the dissonance and asymmetry that one often associates with the Balkans,  here we are offered a different side of life which demonstrates restraint, taste and decency. And there’s noting wrong with that.

Lined-up to play four times in the Vino Zirkus wine bar, there shouldn’t be any excuses for missing out taking in on sitting back with a glass of red, a damp rolly hanging from the corner of your mouth and feeling like a damn gent.