Name: The Beez
Start: 2026-03-07T05:00:00+11:00
End: 2026-03-07T07:00:00+11:00
Location: Smith's Alternative

$25/20
From Berlin to the Blue Mountains, it's been quite a ride.
Things have changed in Beezville. And although native Berliner Deta C. Rayner’s unique bass accordion and vamp-flavoured voice are, as ever, front and centre, her right hand now frequently caresses the keys of a keyboard, a virtuoso multitasking mashup of funky Hammond organ, delectable Rhodes electric piano and retro electro synth sounds- delicious garnish to the Beez’ genre-hopping smorgasbord. Deta has dragged the accordion kicking and screaming (with joy!) into the 21st century, reinventing what is possible on this once reviled- and now revered- instrument. Ten years as performer for and artistic director of Berlin´s legendary Chamaeleon Theatre, Deta C. Rayner´s commanding yet endearing stage presence and dry humour ooze cabaret sensibilities.
Guitarist and songwriter Rob Rayner, meanwhile, has augmented his trademark breezy, sleazy rock guitar and bass baritone vocals with reanimated programming smarts, concocting irresistible grooves and catapulting the newly invigorated Beez onto the dance floor. Rob’s 30-odd years in Berlin- and the fall of the Berlin Wall and subsequent influx of astounding musicians- lends a distinctly Balkan flavour to his already esoteric post-punk heritage.
The Beez new album of original material, “Fahrradkette”, is witness to a songwriting pedigree born of 28 years Beez history, taking roads less travelled with, amongst others, the impassioned post-rock of “Dancing with Elijah” to the danceable and hilarious “What’s Not to Like About German” and the Balkan reggae of Deta C. Rayner’s title track “Fahrradkette”. Released in Germany in late 2025 on their 40-date German tour, material from “Fahrradkette” will be featured on Australian dates in summer 2025/6. After years of Berlin-based wanderlust The Beez have finally found their home in Katoomba, Australia. Whether ABC TV´s Spicks and Specks or Folk Festivals from Vancouver Island to Woodford, Dublin to Port Fairy, The Beez deliver a dizzying pastiche of comedy and music that leaves their audiences reaching for the German-English phrasebook. The Beez- in one word? “Prost!"