Music Review: Funk, Jazz and Lighting Up in the Northern Quarter
Article published: Monday, November 30th 2009
Rachel Jackson, who covered the reopening of Band on the Wall in October, paid a return visit to find Breakestra and Polar Bear getting into their grooves before the appreciative crowds and anticipation growing for the city’s newest installation in praise of music, a Giant Graphic Equaliser for Ancoats.
Thick bass lines, tight guitar riffs, a splash of keyboard and a meaty horn section pounded out unstoppable funky grooves against steady breakbeat drumming at Band on the Wall on 20 November. LA outfit ‘Breakestra‘ had everyone packed in to the intimate venue moving to their own original brand of modern funk.
After a tight instrumental introduction the empty microphone stand hinted at more to come. Ultimate diva in residence, Afrodyte was soon welcomed on stage to lead the band onwards and upwards to a whole new level of musical virtuosity. Her vocals were rich, soul inflected and occasionally peppered with lighter R&B tone paralleling those of James Brown. A bold claim, yet Afrodyte truly does sound like ‘The Godfather’ himself, with a textured, powerful voice, percussive grunts and orders to, “come on, get down”. The similarities were striking and exploited with taste as she worked in some hip-swinging dance moves. The crowd really let loose and countless drinks were spilt in the fray as the beats just kept coming.
Breakestra’s set spanned a funk repertoire quoting the masters and covering their own material, including newly released album, ‘Dusk Till Dawn’. The highlight was trilby-clad founder Miles Tackett calmly setting down his bass, picking up an amplified Cello and launching into new instrumental track, ‘Me&Michelle’. Tackett’s raw attack on the strings made the unlikely fusion work as the cello wound around the punchy melody with the same range of musical articulation as a Jazz horn. The set finished far too quickly but the Breakestra-hungry crowd were fed a lengthy encore in the energised yet laid-back surrounds.
Days later the versatile venue hosted acclaimed post-Jazz quintet, Polar Bear (24 Nov). Drummer Sebastian Rochford leads the band, speaking unassumingly before casually beating out intricate drum solos. The horn section comprises of two tenor saxophones, the symmetrical wind set-up allowing melodies to converge and diverge in a free-flowing style. Leafcutter John on electronics and guitar, crouching quietly over his laptop, created a completely unique, folksy, bizarre sound world alongside the acoustic members of the band. During one tune he manipulated a balloon over a microphone, putting the resulting sounds through an electronic effect to create dappled, echoing textures.
They largely performed material from their new album, ‘Peepers.’ Sidestepping through genres the band seem just about to settle comfortably into a single style, be it ska, free jazz, rock or an electro-acoustic otherworld, before moving off again in a completely new direction. The crowd were hushed but clearly engrossed in the ever-morphing musical experience.
At Polar Bear the audience was definitely more middle-aged than for Breakestra’s youthful funk extravaganza. And that’s the beauty of Band on the Wall. A bit like a bumper biscuit selection box, with a varied line-up of gigs that nonetheless pushes boundaries, the venue has much to offer the diversity of music fans in Manchester.
A new art installation smothering the outer walls at the venue also aims to take music literally onto the streets. The “sound interactive graphic equaliser” will react to music played inside the building as well as sounds picked up on the street. The aim is to light up the Northern Quarter, as well as Ancoats rush hour traffic, with a public display and visual tribute to Manchester’s musical heritage.
The artwork is created by Manchester artists Michael Trainor and Lee Donnelly and completes Band on the Wall’s rebirth four years after its closure. The grand switch on, no doubt putting Market Streets Christmas Lights to shame, will be held on Tuesday 1 December at 5.30pm.
More: Culture, Manchester, Music
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