Two Spot Gobi
Live
Hailing from Brighton, I’d have hoped Two Spot Gobi would have reached my musical radar before now, but no. It took a review assignment for The Mag to bring their funky acid jazz sound to my attention. I am grateful.
The night gets off to a wonky start with screwy guest list places, causing a near no-go at the door. Once inside, things get messier when we end up sitting in a room full of poets doing live readings. A few minutes pass before it becomes clear that something is amiss. Worried about hurting their feelings, we sit through two poets before summoning up the courage to bolt.
Up on the third floor of Komedia is our goal, to see Two Spot Gobi play the North Laine benefit gig. The timing is perfect; they are just about to come on. With a crowd pleased to see them and the band comfortable on home turf, there is a chilled-out happy vibe to the place that is contagious. The hassles of getting here are soon forgotten as singer James Robinson delivers ‘Melodious Star’, a good track that allows all the members of the band to shine. It’s clear they love playing together, and it shows in the tightness of their sound.
Their sound, if comparisons are to be made, is a mellow cocktail of UB40, Corduroy, and Jamiroquai. They play with reggae beats, funky jazz fusions, and the cello and trumpet mix it up a wee bit more. The trumpet is inspired, Matt Ellis plays with passion and excellent timing, and it’s cool to see something other than a guitar on a stage getting dirty with the notes.
James is a good frontman, happy to banter between numbers, with a hip-hop bounce to his moves – although it is almost impossible to shake the suspicion that he is Justin Timberlake in another guise. But hey, he’s enjoying it, the crowd are enjoying it, there is a groove going on, and it is good. Songs like ‘Innocent’, ‘Better Days’ and ‘Hot Sun’ stand out from a set that is across the board pleasing on the ear.
Two Spot Gobi don’t have a unique sound, falling neatly into the acid-jazz camp, but they do produce something that is exceedingly good with intelligent lyrics. All band members relish their instruments’ ability to raise smiles on many faces. They can’t resist a plea for an encore and emerge to bless us with ‘Lets Get Lost’. This is one of their best numbers, full of energy and rhythms that force you to move your hips.
Their sound is perfect for festivals; the Big Chill is missing a trick if it doesn’t hire this band, as they’d go down a treat with the big chillers. Check out their myspace page and catch them if you can…
Guest article from Hayley C.
Written by Guest Writers on
