The London Philharmonic Skiffle Orchestra

 A colourful fireworks of musical comedy and fiery rhythm - The London Philharmonic Skiffle Orchestra on stage - two nights in Northern Germany, the audience will never forget. More instruments on stage than four men can play at the same time, more costumes and colours than a human eye normally sees all together and a rhythm, that doesn´t hold anybody of the audience in his chair (even not if he would try very hard). These four very special and charming Englishmen – Mike Martin, Martyn Oram, Ronald Regan and Ian Durrant alias Captain Cabbage – are most excellent musicians, presenting a passionate, masterly and funny show that never gets boring. Along with violin, guitar, banjo, bass and percussion, everything is played what is able to make a noise: suitcase, washboard, saw, knee trumpet, spoons or even frogs and dogs. With „star guests“ like Roy Orbison, the Royal family, Nana Mouskouri and the Great Zorbas (who is soooo deep in love with her that she gets hot) and many others. Wonderful music and comedy meets slapstick, parody and black humour … what a mixture! Playful, lively and lighthearted, full of fun and joy, a great parodistic and heartwarming political incorrectness and a wonderful moving and stirring music … If anybody should have forgotten how to laugh and enjoy his life, he should come to this show – it helps! 

"Excellent show last night, you must come back. I don't know where you get the energy!" (Michael Wheatley-Ward, Artistic Director Sarah Thorne Theatre, Broadstairs; Oct 2017)

"An avowedly old-fashioned sort of show, this ... the Phils are a riot of colour, with innumerable changes of ridiculous sub-clown costumes throughout ( including the absolutely least erotic striptease the world has ever seen). And the array of instruments is colossal ... aside from a wide array of normal instruments, there are such musical eccentricities as sousaphone, bass banjo, knee trumpet (you had to be there), saw, watering can, even insecticide sprayer. The humour is fairly basic, and some of the jokes are museum pieces, but what impresses most is the sheer energy, skill and versatility of the musicianship – driving the show along to its faster and faster, and dafter and dafter climax. Lots of fun." John Christopher Wood (Rondo Theatre, Bath Comedy Festival, April 2017)

"From the first appearance of the four artistes it was obvious that we were in for an evening that would be very different! Their bizarre costumes and the effervescent humour of their introductory number set the tone for the whole evening.  What was impressive was the sheer variety of what was on offer. We enjoyed a constant battery of humour; sometimes visual, sometimes wittily verbal, often corny but always clever. We were delighted by a seemingly endless series of slickly managed changes of costume. Almost every number was accompanied by a change into new and ever more outlandish dress, suited to the mood or style of the piece being played. The band’s exceptional musical skills meant that we heard a wide variety of instruments. Thus the percussionist not only played the washboard and the drums but also the keyboard, the spoons and the musical saw!  The bass player – a banjo bass rather than a string bass – also played a sousaphone and the bagpipes. Not only was there variation in the sound, we also heard a tremendous diversity of music. The long standing ovation at the end of the concert was testament to the fact that the large audience had experienced an evening of pure enjoyment." Robin Curtis (Holy Trinity Church, Broadstairs, Feb 2017)