Concert: Churchman & The Rainbirds  

Folk ensemble based in Strasbourg, with a touch of world music, blues and Cuban jazz. Wandering between the worlds of Tom Waits and Wes Anderson, Churchman's repertoire offers a dreamlike escape, a moment out of time. The quartet's musical essence is made up of haunting melodies set to shaky rhythms, three voices arranged with goldsmith's skill and unusual instruments adding surprising colours. The project is built around traditional folk-inspired songs and uses mainly acoustic instruments, but introduces elements of avant-garde music, Latin jazz, baroque pop and psychedelic folk. Unusual themes and vocal arrangements express surreal, dreamlike wanderings filled with ironic humour. With influences ranging from music (Tom Waits, William Z Villain, the old Jug Bands) to literature (Zola, Hemingway) and film (Tim Burton, Wes Anderson), Churchman strives for a timeless, colourful sound.