VIRGO

It's written in the stars! This merry band of astrologers are the most authentic Greek experience you'll have since Anthony Quinn first wooed Irene Papas in Zorba the Greek. Darnakes hail from Greece's second city of Thessaloniki, where the days are long and the hot sultry nights are filled with the sound of love and laughter, and if you happen to wander near a local Greek taverna and hear the sound of Balkan balalaikas, then if you care to venture inside, you may find dancers merrily cavorting and carousing in gaily-coloured skirts, and sometimes the women join in too. Darnakes are just the kind of traditional Greek minstrels you might find performing there, with songs all sung in their native Greek language and all performed on traditional Greek instruments. Darnakes are certainly an orthodox folk band on this first album - although their religion doesn't even come into it - but their second and best album "Libra" opens the book on a far heavier progressive edge to the band. Look out for Darnakes' third and most recent album to date though, which has a sting in the tail.