Apodimi Compania has had numerous presentations of its work, during its 30 years of existence, both in Greece and Australia.
Apodimi Compania (Band of Friends) was formed by a group of students of Greek heritage studying under Greek scholar and musicologist Stathis Gauntlet at Melbourne University in Melbourne, Australia in the early 1980s. The band – brothers George Galiatsos and Manuel Galiatsos, Nick Vergopoulos, Jim Dimitriou and Tom Dimitriou – immersed themselves in old recordings of Rebetika music. They started to perform around the inner-northern suburbs of Melbourne, which are home to many people of Greek descent.
Since 1984, it has recorded and released 8 very important discs (vinyls and CDs), first in Melbourne, Australia and later in Greece. The material is based on unknown rebetika and traditional songs of Greece, with only a few compositions of their own.
In Retreat Hotel, a triditional bruery of Melbourne, Apodimi Compania introduced the rich Greek musical tradition to hundreds of Australians, not necessarily of Greek origin. Especially for Greek-Australians, the nights at Retreat and the performances of Apodimi Compania (along with Kretan lyra player Michalis Melabiotis) were not only a place to remember and have fun, they became a part of the urban myth of Melbourne, as years went by.
The band’s contribution to the musical culture of Australia, was recognized when Apodimi Compania got in the National Archives of Film and Sound of the country in Canberra, it has been presented in the state radio ABC and the journey goes on, as Apodimi Compania with its present synthesis (George and Manolis Galiatsos, Giannis Niarchos, Chrysoula Kechagioglou and Hector Kosmas until hia traggic death in 2012) is up to now invited to participate in big folk festivals all around the country.
During their years in Australia, they had co-opereted with Rena Hatzilepos, the Irish songwriter Andy Irvine and many more. During the years in Greece, they have come together at times with Marios Papadeas (santuri player), Maria Dikta (singer) and later with Chrysoula Kechagioglou and Christos Biniaris, in their last two CDs.
In 2017, Apodimi Compania performed in several cities in Australia (Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide) and at the Canberra National Folk estival. It also participated to the Festival of Paxoi, where it performed with Andy Irvine and Donal Lunny.