Straf

Zeppelin!

The Brabant band Straf are seven musicians with wheelbarrows full of instruments who have been travelling for two decades with their original and passionate performances and music. Time after time, the men plunge into a new and unpredictable adventure.  Sometimes as a brass band on a flat cart or as captains on a sinking ship. Then again digging in an underground tunnel or flying in a self-built zeppelin. Punishment is always on the way. Final goal? The horizon!

Straf's music is not easy to describe. The band finds inspiration in the most diverse sources. From blues to big band, from beat bands to Balkan. But always with a sound all its own, which sounds like Bremen city musicians lurching down the cellar stairs. Straf's Dutch-language lyrics are narrative, melancholic, and sometimes absurdist. The sharp-edged hoempa is accompanied by arrangements reminiscent of Tom Waits, Duke Ellington and Bertold Brecht. That this mix is infectious is obvious to anyone who has ever attended a Straf show. Straf is a true "live band" and has now earned its spurs in countless pubs, concert halls, theatres and festivals.

Besides their energetic party shows and performances, Straf also takes you on their travels with various musical theatre performances and impressionistic storytelling. In collaboration with director Erik Willems, the band created the show Kuifkop for theatre festival Boulevard. With the Bossche director and artist Lucas Kastelijn the very well-received performance Wladiwostok! Straf is currently on the road with the performance Zeppelin! The band wrote, directed and produced this show and the accompanying music itself over a period of three years.

Straf previously released two EPs (Sinking Ship and Gluttony) and one album (Pump or Sink). In 2023, the latest album Zeppelin! will be released on CD, vinyl and the familiar digital platforms.

Everywhere Straf goes, young and old dance along, with a laugh and a tear. Roofs are blown off, tents are blown down, and halls are played flat. Long live life!  Long live Straf!