Niko Ne Zna’s blazing Balkan music

The 2017 Castlemaine State Festival is thrilled to welcome renowned Balkan band Niko Ne Zna, all the way from the land of the long white cloud. Destined to set the dance floor ablaze with hypnotic gypsy brass and percussive rhythms, the ghosts of Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal are about to get a shake-up.

Featuring some of New Zealand’s finest instrumentalists, Niko Ne Zna will get even the most rhythmically challenged moovin’ and groovin’. With duelling horns and thumping percussion, their songs morph from joy to sorrow, and from the melancholic to the frenetic.

‘The Journey’ is the underlying theme for this year’s festival,” says Festival Director, Martin Paten. “The irresistible music of Niko Ne Zna connects us with the ancient tradition of nomadic artists travelling from town to town, gathering local music they hear on the street. Adapting tunes over time, and in turn—influencing other musicians on their journey. In a sense, nobody knows the origins of a song or perhaps where it starts and where it ends.”

Date: Saturday March 18, 9.30pm

Venue: Theatre Royal, 30 Hargraves Street Castlemaine