23 Red Lights - Himerini Kolymvites

“Himerini Kolymvites” (Winter Swimmers) is the most unexpected Greek band. Since their first appearance in 1979, they introduced an original style, brought in a unique and peculiar outlook on music, and attained the unattainable: to astonish their audience with each new appearance on stage. With humour and irony not only in the lyrics and verses they select, but also in the overall feeling of the concert, in the way they play the instruments and interpret the songs. And it is this astonishment that makes informed audiences await and long for their concerts.

A rare case of artists, the members of the band have made a name in their fields not only as talented and inspired musicians but also as composers, music tutors and even scientists. All this gives the band its inimitable character, which makes it so different from any other music formation.

In their eight albums so far, “Himerini Kolymvites” have produced songs marked by passion, enthusiasm and vivacity, on one hand, and tenderness and melancholy, on the other. Their latest CD, “23 Red Lights”, brings them back to the audacious style of their first albums – very successfully and without any nostalgia for the past. These new songs, as well as older ones, which we have loved and favoured, will be heard at this year’s concert of “Himerini Kolymvites” in Axiothea’s courtyard.

Together with the compositions, the audience will have the opportunity to enjoy, as always, the stories behind each song (which Argyris Bakirtzis usually narrates with its disarming sense of humour), but also to appreciate the numerous musical, literary and historical references that add an amazing depth to the listening experience.

Featuring:
Kostas Vomvolos: accordion, vocals
Dimitris Mystakidis: guitar, baglama
Argyris Bakirtzis: vocals
Haris Papadopoulos: bouzouki, vocals
Dimitris Polyzoidis: viola, violin
Thodoris Rellos: clarinet
Dionysis Roussos: vocals
Michalis Siganidis: double bass, vocals
Kostas Sideris: bouzouki, vocals