What a night
Last night I had the perfect birthday celebration. One of my favourite groups, the Youngblood Brass Band was playing a live gig at Cargo in Shoreditch. I've been there once before, when the YBB performed there last year - and this time was even better.
The show began with a quality warm-up act. A young guy named Joe Driscoll took to the stage on his own and the music he produced was an awesome individual effort. He used his varied musical skills and a looping machine to create some amazing songs. For a start, he could beatbox and used this to make the background. He would then add in guitar riffs, possibly two layers, before rapping or singing over it. It was all produced on the spot, with no pre-recording at all. His best tricks were beatboxing into a didjeridoo and, right at the end, a harmonica...
So that was a great way for the gig to start, but the main feature was even better than expected. They played a cool mix of old favourites like 'Brooklyn' and 'Avalanche' (right at the end) and tunes from the new album such as 'Nuclear Summer' and the title track, 'Is that a Riot?'. The band has definitely improved since last time I saw them at the same venue and another real difference is following they've developed.
When I saw them for the first time they were playing a free gig in the Royal Festival Hall, part of the London Jazz Festival in 2004 I think. They were heralded by a small but appreciative crowd. The second time, last year, when I saw them at Cargo, it was £6 to get in and the venue was pretty full. This time it was £15 (although only £10 in advance, but I was too disorganised for that) and the place was absolutely packed to the roof. That produced a crazy atmosphere and the whole thing was just spectacular. Also, I think it's fantastic for the YBB to have so many fans - they definitely deserve it! Here's a clip from 'Brooklyn', one of their best and most popular tunes:
So that was a truly excellent night of music and I already can't wait for them to come back. The band is in the middle of a tour through Europe at the moment and will then do one in the US, so it probably won't be for a while, but still something to look forward to. Although how they manage to give such consistently dynamic performances night after night I will never know.
To end this post, here's a clip from when they played 'Avalanche' after coming out for the encore:
The show began with a quality warm-up act. A young guy named Joe Driscoll took to the stage on his own and the music he produced was an awesome individual effort. He used his varied musical skills and a looping machine to create some amazing songs. For a start, he could beatbox and used this to make the background. He would then add in guitar riffs, possibly two layers, before rapping or singing over it. It was all produced on the spot, with no pre-recording at all. His best tricks were beatboxing into a didjeridoo and, right at the end, a harmonica...
So that was a great way for the gig to start, but the main feature was even better than expected. They played a cool mix of old favourites like 'Brooklyn' and 'Avalanche' (right at the end) and tunes from the new album such as 'Nuclear Summer' and the title track, 'Is that a Riot?'. The band has definitely improved since last time I saw them at the same venue and another real difference is following they've developed.
When I saw them for the first time they were playing a free gig in the Royal Festival Hall, part of the London Jazz Festival in 2004 I think. They were heralded by a small but appreciative crowd. The second time, last year, when I saw them at Cargo, it was £6 to get in and the venue was pretty full. This time it was £15 (although only £10 in advance, but I was too disorganised for that) and the place was absolutely packed to the roof. That produced a crazy atmosphere and the whole thing was just spectacular. Also, I think it's fantastic for the YBB to have so many fans - they definitely deserve it! Here's a clip from 'Brooklyn', one of their best and most popular tunes:
So that was a truly excellent night of music and I already can't wait for them to come back. The band is in the middle of a tour through Europe at the moment and will then do one in the US, so it probably won't be for a while, but still something to look forward to. Although how they manage to give such consistently dynamic performances night after night I will never know.
To end this post, here's a clip from when they played 'Avalanche' after coming out for the encore:
Labels: music
posted by Frederick at 14:30
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