Djabe | Pinnacles and labyrinths - June 2023 - Steve's blogs

Pinnacles and labyrinths – June 2023 – Steve’s blogs

Gig in Györ, Hungary
Photo © Jo Hackett

Steve and Jo on Castle Hill, Budapest

It’s always fun to play with Djabe and great to see the guys again. Their hot playing this week in a giddy heatwave with excitable crowds made for a bunch of fantastic shows.

Initially we rehearsed in Attila’s extraordinary cavernous semi underground studio, and enjoyed a fabulous barbecue in his garden. Jo and I also took a morning off with our pals Jane and Dan to visit the impressive historic Matthias Church and the incredibly spooky Labyrinth beneath Castle Hill, where natural caves weave between ancient cellars, deep wells and dank jails. Legend has it that Vlad the Impaler was imprisoned here and ghosts are believed to haunt the dark, winding passageways. It was fascinating, but we were glad to come back out into the sunshine!

The first two shows were in Budapest and met with rapturous applause. We then drove to Austria, where Jo and I met up with Jonas Reingold, who showed us around Vienna, including the massive old cathedral. He joined the encore of the Djabe show, with some virtuoso blues playing. The crowd got to see two brilliant bass players that night!

Next stop was Nové Mesto nad Váhom, a beautiful, characterful little town in Slovakia. I wondered how there could be an audience in such a remote spot, but the venue was packed and jumping… We all had great fun playing that night.

The following day back in Hungary we played in the picturesque town of Györ to an equally fabulous crowd. It was good to see Csaba András Dézsi the Mayor of Györ again who invited us to meet him at a press conference beside the new water park, which features images of his extraordinary parrots. He also joined us with his guitar for the encore… He’s a man of many talents.

After a long journey, we arrived in Timisoara, Romania for the final show. Here is some intriguing Gothic architecture, a ready made vampire haunt, and the cathedral is beautiful with its colourful gleaming turrets. The crowd that night were amazing and the atmosphere buzzed with excitement…

Now back home for only two days before setting off again, this time with my band for the Southern European tour. I hardly have a moment to breathe but I feel the last week has been well worth it. Many thanks to Attila, the band, all the Djabe team and promotors for everything. Jo and I always look forward to joining them all again…

Steve Hackett
hackettsongs.com