Bristol O2 Academy, 18th February
Debuting their new album, Where I’m Meant To Be, Ezra Collective straddle the past and future of free jazz to create a sound as ineffable as signature.
At the band’s sold-out show – and the beginning of their UK tour – the audience becomes a heaving, injurious mass. Fans sling themselves lazily over banisters just to be pressed there for hours. The only salve is the music they’ve come for.
After their first song – an eight-minute epic – the crowd are asked to say hello to a stranger. The band want us to become part of a collective, too. People smile instead of going to all ends to avoid eye contact. People start to say what they think.
The brass elements begin by playing from the rafters of the O2 Academy; this is a band that will bring the house down from the roof.
They move from percussive ambience to high energy performance; their music whoops and scats between them. They heat themselves up just to cool down to ice. They create a freight train of sound, following in the footsteps of iconoclasts like Kenny Burrell, Pharoah Sanders, or Thelonious Monk.
Their music whoops and scats: Ezra Collective have an innate ability to switch between the two with the ease of a puppet-master crossing his strings. The change is blade-quick, and the skill as sharp.
The shadows of bodies flicker across the wall. The venue might be bigger now, but they’ve always known how to make grand spaces feel like places that could be crossed in ten paces. There is a sense of real intimacy, and it feels honest.
The band tell their fans how they found their beginnings in Bristol; that The Canteen – one of the city’s iconic live music venues – was the first time they played outside of the M25. That Thekla was the reason they got their first stage at Glastonbury. Ezra Collective want their fans to know what they have done for them. They want them to understand that roots don’t always grow from the same place they were planted.
@katejeffrie
@ilnsimages
Kate Jeffrie @katejeffrie
Role: Lead Writer / Interviewer
I review gigs, and interview bands and musicians.
Available For: Gig Reviews, band interviews
Qualification: I study English Literature at the University of Bristol.
First attended gig: The first gig I remember going to see was Lewis Watson when I was 13, at a pub a few towns over from where I lived. My friends and I all loved him, and I remember how shocked I was that someone I had on this pedestal could be stood on a stage just a few feet away, drinking a beer and playing guitar!
First gig reviewed: The first gig I ever reviewed was Palace at the O2 Academy Bristol. As a band I wasn’t particularly well acquainted with, it was a testament to how live music can bowl someone over, even when it’s coming from strangers.
Dream gig: My dad saw The Smiths on their first tour, and since they’re my favourite band, I think seeing them in an intimate venue would be a dream
Isaac Stubbings @ilnsimages
Role: Photographer & Reviewer
Hey! I'm a photographer who uses music as a core influence in all my photography. I love looking towards colour and lighting to try and emulate a narrative that enhances my work.
Qualifications: I study Photography at the University of the West of England, Bristol.
Available for: Gig Shoots, Photo Shoots, Album and Single cover shoots and Touring
First attended gig: The first gig I went to was to see the band Beach House in Brighton when I was about 14. It was in a big church and I remember the dreamy vocals and synths sounded amazing with the acoustics of the place. After that, I was hooked on the experience of going to see live music.
First gig shot: In college I shot a couple of my friends’ bands in tiny venues, but I think the first proper gig I shot was Newdad at Thekla. Wanting to get back into music photography, I reached out – not really expecting to hear back – and it meant a lot to me when I was put on the list to shoot one of my favourite bands. It was such an enjoyable and rewarding experience for me, so after that I was set on pursuing it further.
Dream gig: Big question. There are so many I could think of, but it would have to be The Cure in a small intimate venue.