Širom / 17.11 / The Glad Cafe, Glasgow

"Širom fashion maximalist avant-garde soundscapes from antique acoustic instruments like the balafon and hurdy gurdy. Their artfully rootless roots music makes an impassioned statement both aesthetically and, more opaquely, politically too.” -- Uncut

The Slovenian avant-folk trio Širom are back with a sonically and thematically expansive 5th album; a thrilling follow-up to their widely praised 2022 release The Liquified Throne of Simplicity. Navigating almost two dozen instruments (some of which they've handcrafted), and hypnotic compositions that often exceed ten minutes in length, Ana Kravanja, Iztok Koren and Samo Kutin court patient, deep-dive listeners via intricately woven atmospheres, rhythms and sonics.

In the Wind of Night, Hard-Fallen Incantations Whisper is arguably the sharpest evocation yet of the group's highly collective music process, enveloping rustic melodic folklore, outernational textures, non-linear song structures and dissonance, and a buzzing ambiance that can at times feel like an ecstatic ritual.

Few experimental ensembles from the last decade have created an ouevre as singular and unmistakable as that of this far-sighted trio from the disparate landscapes of Slovenia. Širom truly sound like no one else.

You may also like the following events from The Glad Cafe:

• Next Tuesday, 9th September, 07:30 pm, Amelia Coburn in Glasgow
• Next Thursday, 11th September, 07:30 pm, Jolie Holland + Jo Mango / 11.09 / The Glad Cafe, Glasgow in Glasgow
• Next Saturday, 13th September, 07:30 pm, Randolph's Leap + Harry Bird / 13.09 / The Glad Cafe, Glasgow in Glasgow