Hungarian Heat and Carpathian Castles - August 2024

Jo and I were thrilled to see Attila and the Djabe guys again for another adventure on the road, and this time with Rob Townsend too! Rob immediately slotted in...

Rehearsals went well, and we had a few moments to enjoy the fantastic sunshine in beautiful Budapest, before playing the first gig which received a great crowd reaction. Rob's fabulous sax interplayed perfectly with my guitar and harmonica, Attila's guitar and percussion, Bubi's keys, Tamás' bass, Peter's drums and vocals and Laszlo's sitar and guitar.

We then performed in the atmospheric old town of Gyór, where Rob saw a large parade of people dressed as Cossacks, Tartars and Magyars on his way to find a coffee (perhaps a procession of ghosts!) whilst Jo and I explored the streets of colourful historic buildings.

The following day we crossed the border into Slovakia and on into the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. There, as the sun went down we played a fun outdoor show to an appreciative audience in picturesque Trençianske Teplice.

The drive the following day through the wooded hills was spectacular. It was intriguing to see the ruined castles, those haunted relics of a mythical past, perched up high on rocky crags. Once over the border into Hungary, we were soon driving again through those plains with the big Hungarian skies.

The Debrecen show was held at a festival, well attended and full of exuberance under the setting sun and into the warm night.

The following day we returned home, with happy memories of a really enjoyable few days. Many thanks to Attila, his family, everyone in the Djabe team and all the promotors. We always look forward to returning...