Live at The Belgrave Music Hall 23rd August 2024
Just under a year since his last visit to Leeds, was tonight going to be a re-run of his promotional shows for ‘Salute To The Sun’, I wondered. That had been gentle and contemplative. Tonight turned out to be a two very distinct sides of the band, both the meditative and the grooving.
The first set was thoughtful and gentle, full of splashy sounds, inspiring hushed, careful listening. The stage was smokey and dimly lit, with band members demonstrating careful ensemble playing as well as outstanding solos from sax-blowing flautist, Matt Cliffe. Matthew made subtle and measured use of his trumpet, preferring to work with his percussion of triangles, wind chimes and shakers, sampling them and setting up loops. In between blowing and tinkering, he is vibe-master, crouching down as he soaks in the sounds and pumps out the feels, smiling.
The band is special, featuring five percussion instruments to the two wind players. The harp sets up a lot of rhythm but the double bass, congas, drums and keys all ensure a lot of the set is about the beats. Liviu Gheorghe’s piano is outstanding in range and style. An electric piano sound mostly, it reaches from sparse accompaniment to an exciting outpouring of energy. The drums though, are the star of the show and Matthew knows it, allowing Alan Taylor half a dozen riveting solos tonight, each distinct in tone.
The second set opens with a couple of older numbers – first one from the first album then his most recent one. There is more use of the trumpet and, in ‘An Ever Changing View’, flourishes like Sketches of Spain. Behind the wind instruments the percussion set up a mighty groove and the whole of the second set is made up of a series of great grooves. Maddie Herbert, on harp, avoids the usual sweeps that feature in band situations and is heavily percussive instead, providing the opening beats to more than one piece. The whole ensemble work really hard together, perfectly melded though all but the bassist get a solo spot to show off. This doesn’t feel like improvised music – Matthew has composed it – but it’s played with full heart, spirit and swing that can only be done by a band with individual passions. The encore is a Cinematic Orchestra cover and, of course, features a drum solo.
The thoughtful first set was really good and would have sent the audience home happy but the monster second set, full of killer grooves and blowing melodies left everyone awestruck. This is a band of two sides and a very special band leader – one who never show-boats and is intent on shepherding the ensemble into a cohesive sound, presenting his vision in multiple voices.
We were lucky enough to review the band just a year ago: