Sharn Ruth Rocco

The Beez. An accordion, a guitar, two voices- and a drummer trapped in a tiny red box. Bitingly satirical but eminently danceable- a wealth of home-grownmaterial from the teutonic to the titillating. A treasure trove of bizarre renditions of songs you thought you knew- Ramstein to Rogers and Hammerstein, Oils to Icehouse, newly invented. 

An eclectic blend? No, it´s a dog´s breakfast- and never tasted so good. Ten years as performer and artistic director of Berlin´s legendary Chameleon Varieté theatre, Deta C. Rayner´s commanding yet endearing stage presence and vamp-voiced accordion ooze cabaret sensibilities. It´s a supremely entertaining smorgasbord augmented by Rob Rayner´s breezy, sleazy rock guitar and bass baritone vocals. Sydneysider Rob´s 30-odd years in Berlin, the fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequent influx of astounding musicians, lent a distinctly Balkan flavour to his already esoteric post-punk leanings.      

After 25 years of Berlin-based wanderlust The Beez have finally found their home in Katoomba, Australia. Whether ABC TV´s Spicks and Specks or Folk Festivals from Vancouver Island to Woodford, Dublin to Port Fairy, The Beez deliver a diizzying pastiche of comedy and music that leaves their audiences reaching for the German-English phrasebook. The Beez, summed up in one word? “Prost!"