By Deb Kloeden, Adelaide correspondent
Review: Hang Massive Live in Adelaide
Venue: The Gov, Adelaide. 15th March 2017
Hang Massive are Danny Cudd from UK and Markus Offbeat from Sweden, who became well known when their first YouTube video ‘Once Again’ went viral and introduced the world to The Hang in 2011. 
The Hang Drum looks like a metal UFO and is a percussion instrument in the idiophone class. It is based on the 200-year-old Caribbean steel pan, Danny explained in between performances.
I also first encountered the Hang Drum in 2011 when I was travelling through Europe. I came across two buskers performing outside the old-walled medieval city of Carcassonne in France late one night. Ever since I have been fascinated by the instrument and was very excited to learn that Hang Massive were bringing their amazing sounds to Adelaide.
The duo performed using five Hang Drums, each tuned differently. While chatting with Danny after the performance, he explained that one Hang doesn’t produce enough notes for a full scale, but collectively, Hangs combined, create chords and varying tones. During their performance, Danny and Markus used one Hang each at a time, one creating the ‘tune’ or melody, while the other provided the beat. Their hands danced gracefully over the surface of their Hangs, tapping and flicking various parts of the ‘drums’ to produce rhythms, texture and tones, and amazingly making music with a rich, full sound. I liken the sounds created to a mixture of bells, xylophones and bongos, although this description does not do justice to their sounds.
During their set, Hang Massive played a mixture of new material from their latest album, their first studio album, ‘Distant Light’, and older material from their earlier releases. One track from their new album really caught my attention. ‘Boat Ride’ was introduced as a track written on a remote island off the coast of Stockholm where there were no shops. The pair had to take a small boat to visit shops and the track gives the feeling of drifting and bobbing around on the ocean. It is a very relaxing sound.
Half way through the set, Danny and Markus left the stage and introduced Victoria Grebezs, who combined beautiful vocals with her own Hang accompaniment. She also appears on the latest CD, ‘Distant Light’, along with other musicians providing vocals, drums, cello, bass guitar, violin & viola. The overall combination gives the album depth, interest and maturity.
Hang Massive finished their performance with ‘Once Again’, the tune that made them so famous and now has over 50 million views. It is their favourite as it ‘has a certain power to it’.
In Adelaide, Hang Massive was supported by Geordie Little, an acoustic finger and lap style guitarist, based between Adelaide and Berlin. He was the perfect introduction to the night with his layered compositions and unique style of performing music. Overall it was a very magic evening, one to be remembered.
BAND MEMBERS:
Danny Cudd
Markus Offbeat
TOUR DATES
March 11th – Fly By Night – Perth, WA
March 15th – The Gov – Adelaide, SA
March 17th – Max Watts – Brisbane, Qld
March 18th – The Basement – Sydney, NSW
March 22nd – Max Watts – Melbourne, Vic
PHOTO GALLERY
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From Darkroom to Lightroom in 4 decades.
Deb is aPhotographer, Music Lover, Ex teacher, and traveller.
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