Opening night of the Brighton Festival Fringe!

With Mark Bassey and Simon D'Souza

Back with a big bang comes the SKA-KESTRA, the 20+piece big band extravaganza built around Brighton's own Ska Toons. Mixing up classic ska, jazz and funk with dynamic arrangements, the Ska-Kestra returns to the Old Market after last year's skankingly successful gig.

This year the Ska-Kestra kicks off the first night of the Festival. It features top jazz soloists Mark Bassey trombone and Simon D'Souza tenor, both highly-rated bandleaders in their own right, and stars of last year's Ska-Kestra outing.

The line-up boasts five trumpets, four trombones, five saxes, two guitars, bass, drums, percussion, and vocals from Ska Toons' own Helen Nicholls.

"this giant band was enthusiastic and fantastic" 3 Weeks

"a great concept with fantastic musicians" BBC