The self-proclaimed “best dressed dance band” hit Geelong next weeknd as they tour their debut album.
Melbourne seven-piece Gusto Gusto will bring the party vibes when they perform at Beav’s Bar on Saturday, October 11 for the second show of the To The Ocean They Returned tour.
The instrumental outfit’s front line features clarinet, trumpet, violin and accordion, backed by electric guitar, bass and drums in a raucous mash-up of genres, from contemporary rock and funk to world music elements including latin feels and klezmer-esque polka beats.
Multi-instrumentalist and writer Nick Power, who founded the band in 2022, occupies the drum seat for Gusto Gusto.
He said the intention from the very beginning of the band was to “get people moving”.
“Coming out of the last set of lockdowns in 2021 I realised that that thing I missed most about playing music was getting together with people and having really joyful experiences,” Power said.
“I’d done a lot of solo gigs before that, a lot of different band projects, and I was like, I want something that’s big and bold, really joyful and optimistic.
“So I pulled together six of my friends and wrote a set of instrumental dance music… This band, all seven people are contributing equally and it makes for a pretty exciting show, just having lots of people jumping up and down on stage.”
The results speak for themselves. Gusto Gusto’s first year included a run of festival shows including Woodford Folk Festival, Cresfest and Cullulleraine Music Festival and a sell-out EP tour of the east coast.
Since then they have released another EP, toured the country multiple times and performed at multiple festivals including the UK’s Glastonbury Festival in June this year, an experience Power said was “absurd… really, really fun”.
Gusto Gusto will be joined by heartfelt local rockers Seal Prince and The Roof Rats, with whom they have shared the stage during previous visits to Geelong.
Visit tickettailor.com/events/gustogusto/1355961 for tickets or more information.
