The hKippers at The Irish Cultural Centre

The hKippers are a gloriously eccentric nine-piece born in Stoke Newington 38 years ago, founded by Oscar-winning composer Stephen Warbeck, Pogues drummer Andrew Ranken, and actor Paul Bradley (aka Nigel from EastEnders). Blending surreal lyrics with top-tier musicianship, they dub their sound “Stupid World Music”—or as The Guardian put it: “music at the fun end of the cutting edge.” With a lineup that includes trumpet, clarinets, flute, trombone, double bass, accordion, drums—and yes, sellotape—The hKippers have headlined Queen Elizabeth Hall, sold out Ronnie Scott’s, and lit up festivals from Belfast to The Big Chill. Warbeck, a major figure in film and theatre scoring, is currently finishing his second feature The Man with the Urn, starring Ciarán Hinds. His wife, Sarah Homer, toured globally with Gavin Friday and performed alongside Marianne Faithfull at Dublin’s Gate Theatre. Most recently, The hKippers headlined the inaugural Rik Mayall Comedy Festival and joined John Otway…