Bohemian Betyars

Bohemian Betyars are a whirlwind of a band from Hungary that combines Hungarian folk, Romani, and Balkan musical styles, throws them into a blender with a ska-like upbeat tempo and cranks up the speed for good measure, just to make sure that not a single soul is left standing still in the audience. The songs are mostly in Hungarian, but they also sing in English occasionally. This is a kind of music that was popularized in the west by Gogol Bordello as "gypsy punk", and the label fits the Betyars (= "outlaws", roughly) very well. Their live shows have an unstoppable party atmosphere and uncontainable exuberance, which comes across quite a bit in their studio recordings as well.