Zorras are a multimedia troupe based in Edinburgh, Scotland. They emerged out of the city’s alternative poetry and music scenes in 2008, and perform at some of Edinburgh’s most renowned counterculture locations and events. Zorras are also part of the queer, transsexual, transgender, feminist and crip cultural movements. They create artworks that explore issues of language, sexuality, gender, race, class, mental health and ability.
Zorras’ current members are Sandra Alland, Y Josephine and Ariadna Battich.
Zorras are most known for their live performances, where they often add video to their fusion of music and poetry. Some of Zorras’ most distinguishing elements are the use of sound poetry, cajon and megaphones; they also implement guitar, electric bass, singing, ambient percussion, props and bilingual (English-Spanish) storytelling.
In autumn of 2009, ultimatemetal.com said of Zorras: “A very unique mix of poetry, music, stories and just plain weird. The poetry was sharp and funny, the placement effective, the visuals fitting; a rather unforgettable experience.”[1]
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Sandra Alland and Y Josephine met in November 2007 at Who’s Your Dandy, a queer and trans literary event founded by Alland in Edinburgh and given a 4-star review by The Skinny (magazine) in December 2007[2]. Alland was reading her poetry at the event, and Josephine was singing and playing cajon with the (now-defunct) Contrabajo. According to Diva (magazine)[3] and The F Word (magazine)[4] interviews in 2009, the two artists were taken with each other immediately.
The duo’s debut performance as Zorras was in January 2008 at The Golden Hour at Edinburgh’s Forest Cafe. Following this event, they began to perform widely throughout the city, including at Itsy's Kabarett (Voodoo Rooms), Cocoon Counter Culture Festival, Bongo Club, Roxy Arthouse, Noisy Nights (Traverse Theatre) and Edinburgh Queer Mutiny. They often work with Equality Network to give artist talks and performances at various Scottish LGBT events.
Zorras co-founded the multimedia queer and trans cabaret, Cachín Cachán Cachunga, in 2009, with Ania Urbanowska and Lily. It has run for two years as a monthly and then a quarterly performance event in Edinburgh. Scotland’s The List (magazine)[5] describes it as “Something of a phenomenon”.
Zorras produced a CD in July 2009 (We Apologise For Any Inconvenience), which was highlighted in San Francisco's Curve (magazine)[6] in their January/February 2010 issue: “…a more experimental take on spoken word performance than your average word-spitter. Zorras deliver their musical stories bilingually, mixing text, sound poetry, percussion, guitar, megaphones, singing and projected visual images. They are still interesting on CD, mixing it up between more musical numbers like the guitar-folk 'Nest' and more radio-dramatized pieces like 'Here's To Wang." I personally love the 'In the Details' spoken interludes, humorous musings on the idiosyncrasies of the Bulgarian language.”
Another U.S. magazine, the on-line AfterEllen.com, said of them in March 2011: "(Zorras) do a great job of injecting humor into their poetry and are the first spoken-word group to have actually captured my interest."[7]
In 2009 Zorras also began to work with photographer and video artist, Ariadna Battich, who helped to elevate their work to a new level of integrated performance. Battich and Alland create photos and videos for live performances; Battich is particularly adept at stop-motion.
Throughout 2009 and 2010, Zorras’s reputation grew in London, Manchester and Glasgow. Soho Theatre presented their work as part of a co-production with Oxford Playhouse and Chroma Journal in 2009. Zorras also featured at London’s Bar Wotever, Farrago Poetry, Ladyfest, GFest – gayWise LGBT Arts Festival and Incite.
Zorras made their debut in Manchester in 2010-11 at Pussy Whipped and Debt Records Presents. In September 2010, Ste McCabe from Dandelion Radio said of them: “My favourite Edinburgh music duo, full-stop”.
In Glasgow Zorras have presented work at The Arches (Glasgow), Initial Itch (Flatrate Theatre), Words Per Minute and Aye Write!.
Alland and Josephine have been featured in several literary anthologies in Scotland and Canada, most notably with Montreal’s Matrix Magazine and Toronto’s press press press in 2010.
Performance Works
Albums
Anthologies and Magazines