Simon ParkinA fascinating teaming-up of forces as eight-piece funk band Breakestra return to the Arts Centre this time with the voice of Jurassic 5 Chali 2Na in tow. Plus: The Strange Boys, Ingested, Hot Club de Paris.Simon Parkin
BREAKESTRA + CHALI 2NA
Norwich Arts Centre, June 28
A fascinating teaming-up of forces as eight-piece funk band Breakestra return to the Arts Centre this time with the voice of Jurassic 5 Chali 2Na in tow.
The brainchild of producer, engineer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist 'Music Man' Miles Tackett, Breakestra was formed from a love of 1980s hip hop and a fascination for the dusty samples that peppered the era's classic records. Fronted by singer Mixmaster Wolf they mix deep funk and soul breaks with jazz fever and some serious grooves. The many musicians that have comprised the line-up over the last 10 years comprise a who's who of LA's funk, soul and hip-hop underground.
Chali 2na has done it all. From his days growing up on the hardscrabble streets of Chicago's south side, to his subsequent explosion onto LA's burgeoning hip-hop scene, to his tenure as MC for seminal hip-hop group Jurassic 5. His unmistakable baritone is one of the most distinctive voices in hip-hop.
t Further listening: www.myspace.com/breakestra, www.myspace.com/breakestra
THE STRANGE BOYS
Norwich Arts Centre, June 29
The Strange Boys are a young group from Austin, Texas. Signed to Rough Trade Records, they are at the same time, both timeless and refreshingly avant garde.
The band actually formed back in 2004 but they could have stepped straight out of 1964, such is their ability to evoke the primal pulse and swampy sonorities of the first rock bands, those bands who electrified the blues and unleashed garage, psych, freakbeat and proto-punk.
They played their first UK shows last summer to wild reaction and this live return to the UK is hotly anticipated. They've since returned to the US and recorded their second album Be Brave, the follow up to their debut, Girls Club.
Rough, raw, and ragged, it's real back-to-basics stuff, ranging from the infectiously sloppy to the impeccably tight, the whole thing so steeped in period influences, from Love and The Velvet Underground through to more conventional beat-led standards of The Rolling Stones.
t Further listening: www.myspace.com/thestrangeboys
INGESTED
Marquee, June 29
With a band moniker like that an album named Surpassing the Boundaries of Human Suffering and song titles ranging from Anal Evisceration to Condemned To Rape, you'll be unsurprised to discover this young quintet are making waves on the deathcore scene.
Featuring former members of Annotations Of An Autopsy, the band released their debut album last year, gaining praise from Kerrang! and Metal Hammer.
To the uninitiated they may not be much to distinguish them from a hundred and one other bands of a similar ilk. They play chugging, pretty monotonous riffs, with a sound that is suitably brutal with extreme, frequently misogynistic, lyrical topics. Shame there isn't the odd wink or nod to let everybody know that they've got a sense of humour about it all though.
However if you're into that sort of thing this is the perfect opportunity to see one of the best young bands on the scene. Expect it to be suitably boisterous show at a frantic pace.
t Further listening: www.myspace.com/ingesteduk
HOT CLUB DE PARIS
Norwich Arts centre, June 30
Hot Club de Paris arrive at the Arts Centre on the back of their eagerly-awaited return with a brand-new six song EP entitled With Days Like This As Cheap As Chewing Gum, Why Would Anyone Want To Work? - a title generously loaned by acclaimed British poet Matthew Welton.
The EP, self-producing and recording themselves in their Liverpool rehearsal space, shows the trio are still operating with their usual punk-rock ethic and still proudly flying the flag for British DIY.
Paul, Matthew and Alasdair first entered our musical consciousness with their debut album Drop It 'Til It Pops in 2006, followed by Live at Dead Lake in 2008.
Their skew whiff art-punk d�but was bursting with a feverish energy and, combined with near constant touring, has won them a healthy fan base.
With Days Like This…is the first of two six-song EPs the band plan to release this year. The second EP - The Rise and Inevitable Fall of the High School Suicide Cluster Band - should see the light of day some time around the early summer.
t Further listening: www.hotclubdeparis.com
SOUNDS IN THE CITY
t June 25
Upright Sound: feat. Earl 16 + more (reggae) - Arts Centre
Eclectic & Acoustic: feat. Lilith + more (acoustic) - Olives Elm Hill
Maria Friedman (classical/jazz) - Playhouse
Shrapnel + more (metal) - B2
Keno Kings (blues/rock) - King Edward VII
Dirty Havana (rock/psychedelic) - Blueberry
Fo'c'sle (folk) - The Nelson
Ramon Goose Band (blues) - Cider Shed
Con Jovi (tribute) - Brickmakers
The Rum Brothers (roots) - Temple Bar
Mark Anthony (singer) - Trowel & Hammer
t June 26
To The Last (rock/metal) - Brickmakers
Mohawk (rock) - King Edward VII
Howl Project (rock/indie) - Blueberry
Norwich Rocks (local bands/DJs) - Henrys
Palenke (Latin) - The Regal
Shannon - Trowel & Hammer
t June 27
Sun of Cash (tribute) - King Edward VII
Lee Vasey Big Band (12pm) - Brickmakers
t June 28
Uncle Stash (reggae/ska) - B2
Jazz N Jam (open mic) - Blueberry
Sessions (open mic) - Brickmakers
t June 29
Folk Night (open mic) - Micawbers Tavern
Rock Band Night (open mic) - Brickmakers
t June 30
The Temperance Seven (jazz) - Playhouse
Abandon All Hope (punk) - Marquee
Lee Vasey & Friends (rock) - Trowel & Hammer
Track 3 Promo (indie) - B2
Pure Acoustic (open mic) - Brickmakers
t July 1
These Ghosts + more (indie) - Arts Centre
Red Shift (rock) - Marquee
Fa�ade + more (rock) - B2
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