Marina & The Kats

Marina & The Kats originated in Graz in 2015 – in a small dive where people like to “stay pecking” until 6 a.m., as they say in Austria. No sooner said than done. They party and dance to the sound of the golden swing era. Very soon the musicians move to the capital and in Vienna the idea becomes a band. A band that combines the old with the new. Out of necessity, three of the four band members share a drum set among themselves and have created a trademark that they call “Shared Drums”. What does that mean exactly? In M&TK, the bass player also takes over the bass drum, Marina plays two drums and Hari grabs the cymbals and two more toms. A completely independent sound, namely indie swing, is born.

The band celebrates a brilliant debut with “Small” (2015). For the two songs “Small” & “Dirty” they received the Songwriter Award of the ACA (Austrian Composers Association) in 2016. The double album “Wild” already followed in 2016 and the subsequent tours were really something with about 90 shows a year. It is probably due to this that the album “Swingsalabim”, released in 2019, is noticeably rougher.

M&TK use the compulsory break in 2020 to do what they themselves call “basic research”. This proves to be exactly right and important, because in 2021 they push out of the silence with their new indie swing album “Different” and consolidate a completely independent band sound. With this album, the four once again prove their exceptional position in the Austrian music scene. The content as well as the sound have become clearer and more self-confident. Marina says, “I think with the album Different we have finally arrived with M&TK where we originally wanted to be – you could also say we have grown up as a band.” In their adopted home of Vienna, the gang is usually conspicuous by its absence, as their shows take them from Israel, to Cyprus, Russia, Tunisia, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and also the USA.

Album releases: “Friendly Fire” (2024), “DIFFERENT” (2021, Parramatta/Sony), “SWINGSALABIM” (2019, O-Tone Music/Edel), “WILD” (2016, O-Tone Music/Edel), “SMALL” (2015, O-Tone Music/Edel).

MARINA & THE KATS: Friendly Fire

Anyone who thought that the Viennese band had presented their most original album to date with ‘Different’ will be proven wrong: standing still is not part of the band’s vocabulary. ‘Friendly Fire’ is the name of the latest longplayer with which MARINA & THE KATS are making their mark on contemporary swing music.

With their mixture of modern indie sounds and nostalgic swing, they have been and nostalgic swing have been delighting fans around the world since the release of their debut album all over the world. The result is an exciting dynamic that appeals to both those those who yearn for the past as well as those in search of new sounds, those in search of new sounds. In short: a captivating mix of old and new that sounds familiar and fresh at the same time.

If you don’t know M&TK yet, you should know the following: Three of the four band members actively play drums or share a set. The concept of ‘shared drums’ has become their trademark in recent years and contributes significantly to the band’s completely unique sound. The rhythmic component comes to the fore in the music, but without causing monotony. The music still captivates with melodies that don’t want to leave your head, unexpected harmonic twists and imaginative realisations that make you completely forget that there are only four people on stage.

On ‘Friendly Fire’, they write songs with depth, produce and arrange them and tour throughout Europe without falling for any trends or fads. Lyrically, Marina also addresses unpleasant and personal topics on ‘Friendly Fire’, such as the pressure to succeed, getting older, constant judgement and fears. But don’t worry, hope has not yet been lost.

MARINA & THE KATS + Chamber Quartet:
M&TK have developed into one of the most exciting Austrian bands in recent years and have also established themselves not only in German-speaking countries but throughout Europe. They sound strong and idiosyncratic on their previously released longplayer “Different”, the “Shared Drums” have not only become their trademark but have also taken centre stage and the band confidently calls their style Indie-Swing.
After a noisy 2021 tour has taken them through Germany, Sweden, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic, there is room for the quieter sounds on this evening – which doesn’t immediately mean that it will be quiet, because it rarely remains that way at their concerts. A specially arranged programme for band and chamber quartet illuminates selected songs from their albums from a completely new angle and gives them a new outfit.

Instrumentation:
Marina Zettl – Vocals, Drums
Thomas Mauerhofer – Guitars, Vocals
Peter Schönbauer – Bass, Bass Drum, Vocals
Harald Baumgartner – Drums, Vocals
Mihoko Ikezawe – Viola
Maiken Beer – Cello
Martin Harms – Flute
Gerald Selig – Bass clarinet