9.29°C This editorial currently features in the February 2011 issue of The Colchester Circle, available throughout the town right now.
Keep Colchester Cool recommends…
Here are just some of the events taking place this month that you can go to, safe in the knowledge of hearing some great music.
On Saturday, I’m celebrating my 40th birthday at The Soundhouse in The Bull and wanted to mark it with something special. So I cheekily asked FuzzFace – one of my all-time favourite Colchester bands – if they would reunite for a one-off gig. Fortunately, I caught them in a good mood, and they said yes. Just as pleasing was Housework, Greg Blackman and the GrownSoul DJs also agreed to be part of the night. If you’ve never seen FuzzFace before, this is your chance. With Ady Johnson, Matt Simpkins, Toby Bull and Mark Turnbull delivering organ-driven rock ’n’ roll that really hits the spot, they’re a band worth catching. It’s not a private party, so everyone’s welcome.
Colchester Arts Centre hosts the brilliant Shlomo on Thursday, 10 February. Not only is there his ‘Mouthronica’ performance in the evening, but there’s also a workshop beforehand. The masterclass with Shlomo covers the basics of beatboxing along with some tricks of the trade. Regarded as one of the world’s finest beatboxers, he has worked with Björk, Martha Wainwright, DJ Yoda, Mad Professor, Jarvis Cocker and his own Vocal Orchestra. He has performed at Glastonbury and on Later… with Jools Holland, and The Times once described him as “like a one-man Hollywood action film soundtrack”.
The Keep Colchester Cool Presents night at Trotters Bar focuses on showcasing local acts that deserve a wider audience. Previous line-ups have included Manic Minor, Young Swells, Jack Howe, The Kipling Conspiracy, Ellie Cornell, Greg Blackman, The Jorneta Stream, Blisted Pearl, Tom Sanderson, Top Deck All Stars, Kill The Party, Slopes, DJ Huffle, Station, To Kill A Rose, Animal Noise, We Are Embassy, The Overwrought and Videotapes, with many more set to appear throughout 2011. On Thursday, 17 February, the spotlight falls on Fick As Fieves, a strong three-piece who enjoyed a cracking year and look set for more of the same.
Every Sunday evening in Stanway Rovers’ Hawthorn Suite, The Colchester Jazz Club hosts leading traditional jazz bands from across the globe. Founded in 1956, the club has built a reputation for staying true to “The Spirit of Jazz”. Over the decades it has moved between venues including the Cross Keys, The Plough, The Fountain, The Cups, the Garrison Warrant Officers’ and Sergeants’ Clubs, the Corn Exchange, the Albert Hall, Langenhoe Lion and Colchester Youth House before settling in Stanway in 1987. It remains something of an unsung hero of the local music scene and deserves continued support. Membership is available, but guests are always welcome. This month’s line-up features The Sussex Jazz Kings (6th), Johnny Rodger’s Hot Six (13th), Colin Kingwell’s Jazz Bandits (20th) and Mike Barry’s Uptown Gang (27th), offering plenty of opportunity for a Sunday stomp.
Ben Howard
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