A raucous, technicolour pop-parade-come-street-party; SMOOSH! is a rip-roaring wind and brass band performing pop-karaoke classics on the move. 

Our biggest commission to date, SMOOSH! invites residents and visitors out onto their doorsteps to dance and sing along in magnificent, cacophonous, communal karaoke – a ‘massaoke’!

A core of Paraorchestra musicians are joined by dozens of local wind and brass players and an army of professional and local dancers to perform a track list of songs by artists such as Fatboy Slim, Kate Bush, Basement Jaxx, and Adele.

In Summer 2023, SMOOSH! hit the streets of London with joyful performances in Plaistow, East London and the Southbank, as well as Glastonbury Festival’s theatre and circus tent and the seafront of Weston-super-Mare.

Lit by the sun from behind a white female dancer stands amongst musicians. Street setting.
A black male plays a large drum, arm raised, he is smiling
A light skinned female dancer swings her hair in front of a band playing drums and sousaphone. Outdoor setting
A troupe of colourfully-dressed dancers strike a pose as they stride down Brighton seafront. It is overcast but sunny, giving the scene a gold-grey hue.
Brighton seafront. A dancer in a pink t-shirt leans into a tight circle formed of three male percussionists play snare drums and cymbals mounted to their wheelchairs. Behind them, a colourfully-dressed crowd of musicians and spectators dance on.
A young male dancer wearing a blue singlet raises his hands above his head on the Brighton seafront as brass and percussion players parade behind him. To his left, a smiling teenage boy imitates his pose.
Colourfully-dressed brass and percussion players mingle amongst dancers as they perform in a suburban cul-de-sac. Members of the public look on, smiling.

Composed by Emma-Jean Thackray
Directed by Charles Hazlewood
Choreography by Tom Jackson Greaves with Beth Hinton-Lever