By Evelyn Karatzas.
On Saturday, April 10, the newly formed Canberra Greek band, “Kefi,” officially launched, hosting their very first exclusive live gig at the Boardwalk Bar and Nightclub in Belconnen, Canberra.
The event was a huge success with tickets selling out within days therefore, creating a second show added in May to keep up with demand.
Kefi Band was formed in August 2020, through a love of music, entertainment, and an immense love of culture, with the aim to preserve this and to fill a void, which was much needed in the Canberra Greek Community.
The band consists of 7 members being: Kosta Vlahos and Katie Merkoureas on vocals, Stratos Gianakakis and Kon Velanis on bouzouki, Stavros Gianakakis on keys, Mario Neou played the drums and Theodore Merkoureas was on percussion.
The band plays a wide range of predominantly modern Greek, “laiko” and some current and classic English music, in order to entertain and cater to all audiences.
Their inspiration comes from the influences of artists such as Glykeria, Marinella, Haris Alexiou, Stellios Kazzantzidis, Antonis Remos as well as Pandelis Pandelidis.
“We take inspiration from artists and shows we’ve seen and experiences, both Greek and non-Greek,” Stratos Gianakakis, the bouzouki player, shares.
When asked about how “Kefi” will change the face of Greek culture in the relation to music, Kefi shared that they hope it “sparks new life, passion and kefi” for the current and coming generations of the Greeks of Canberra. They aim to be the face of Greek music for Canberra to continue playing music and doing what they love and sharing their passions with the wider community.
Last Saturday’s event, their first gig at the Boardwalk nightclub, was a big success. Kefi shared the venue was amazing and very accommodating especially considering COVID restrictions on numbers and they were looked after so well and had a great turnout with a very supportive and enthusiastic crowd.
“We want to keep evolving as musicians and we want to continue developing and improving our show to keep it fresh for regular events. Our drive is to give the Canberra Greek music scene a much needed revival and make every night better than the last,” the band shares.
Kefi band will be having their next show coming up on Saturday, May 15, as well as many more exciting things to come soon. So get your calendars ready!
We look forward to seeing what else Kefi brings to the table and wish them all the best in their musical endeavours.
