Frivolry is the newest and hottest and one of the few celtic bands in Ōtepoti. Alex is on accordion, Tom is on mandolin, Juliet and Rosie are on violin, Brody is on bass (but can also play accordion, because “the revolution is coming”), Johnny is on drums, and Maia is the caller. The band often play to large crowds and have Ceilidh (pronounced Kay-Lee) parties, which involves a lot of group dancing to the band's jigs. Critic Te Ārohi sat down with some members of the band to have a chat about what a Ceilidh is, who it’s for, and how you can join in.
The band slowly merged together over time. Brody and Rosie lived together in Canada until Rosie convinced Brody to move to Dunedin to join the band. “There was a dearth of bass players in Dunedin so they shipped in one from Canada,” says Brody. Maia, Rosie, and Alex had grown up with the experience of Celtic music and Ceilidh. “This is a thing Irish and Scottish people do, they hear an accordion and it’s all over because people are going to start throwing each other around the room and have a wonderful experience,” says Alex. Tom and Juliet latched on as well, as they have a love for the music. When it comes to recruiting, Maia’s a pro. Though already having a love for the music, Tom says, “Maia saw me play mandolin at a party and said ‘Hey, wanna join my band?’” Juliet shares a similar experience saying, “I was just chatting to Maia while doing conservation trapping and she wanted me to join the band so I did.”
The name Frivolry comes from smashing the two words ‘frivolity’ and ‘revelry’ together. The band encompasses this carefree party spirit in their performances that are often very interactive and high energy. “Our gigs are not just ones where we stand on stage and play to the audience,” Alex explains. “We have dances that have structure to them and you grab a partner and spin ‘em around.” This means the shows are a whirlwind of limbs and shouts.
There aren’t a lot of Celtic bands in Dunedin so Frivolry are filling a niche. Alex explains, “There is like one other Celtic band (that we know of) and they don’t have drums or bass so we are bringing drum and bass to Celtic music and you can quote me on that. We are just trying to bring some exposure to this great sound.” The band has been playing together for about a year and is going strong.
Their next gig is happening on September 27 at Union Hall at 6PM. While it’s a big space to fill, this suits Frivolry perfectly, as often the venues they play can be too small for their dancing bonanzas. “This is definitely upscaling it for us so we are hoping to fill it and have a dance,” says Juliet. The gig will be koha entry and all proceeds will go to a local suicide prevention charity, as the gig falls in the middle of Mental Health Awareness Week. The band encourages you to bring friends, family, and even elderly people. “They’re more likely to know the tunes we play, to be honest,” says Alex.
You can follow Frivolry on Instagram @frivolry for more information about the gig on September 27th, Union Hall.