The opening night of BBC Radio 6 Music Festival played host to strange bedfellows in the form of techno klezmer troublemakers Fat Dog and jazz ensemble Ezra Collective in the gorgeous Victoria Warehouse in Trafford.
Prior to this gig, Fat Dog occupied a specific spot in many BBC Radio 6 Music listeners’ awareness as just another buzzy band that Brixton’s Windmill seems to spawn in every few months, a perception was soon shattered by the fiercely chaotic splendour that Fat Dog proved to be. From the bizarre spoken word introduction of ‘Vigilante’, Fat Dog did not allow the pace to falter, delivering a raucous mix of dance-punk and bizarre klezmer. Whilst potentially not the best audience for a band of this energy, the crowd seethed and moshed to the energy of tracks such as ‘Running’ which produced a memorable and chaotic circle pit much to the chagrin of the middle-aged demographic filling out the venue.
Amongst the noise, the band found time for melody and emotion with recent single ‘Peace Song’ allowing for a moment of reflection amongst the mosh, a welcome difference in the otherwise relentless energy of the set. With Fat Dog making the rounds of the festivals this coming summer, if there is one band punters should make a beeline for it simply must be Fat Dog, a live experience that has to be seen to be believed. “Have you been a bad dog?” lead singer Joe Love quizzed the exasperated audience. Yes, it certainly felt that way for those 45 minutes.
Ezra Collective had a hard act to follow, yet the London-based quintet quickly affirmed their celebratory manner by focusing the nights performance on the importance of youth clubs. From the opening strains of ‘Kunta Kinte’ by The Revolutionaries which welcomed the band onto the stage, they fused infuriatingly addictive bass lines with soaring trumpet and saxophone creating a jubilant mood throughout fuelled by the relentless rhythm of drummer Femi Koleose, who consistently recalls Afrobeat genius Fela Kuti.
Ezra Collective excel in the way they push past the pigeonhole of being a ‘jazz’ group’ through their fusion of dub-esque bass lines and afro beat rhythms. Bass player TJ Koleoso proclaimed that tonight the Victoria Warehouse would be a “temple of joy”, and that was certainly achieved with the triumphant praising of ‘Ajala’, a highlight of the set with its instantly memorable saxophone line. The set concluded with the welcoming to the stage of Kinetic Bloco’s youth choir and orchestra, bringing the night to an emphatic end emphasising the themes of community through dance and music. After Sasha Keable made an appearance to perform her Ezra Collective collaboration ‘Body Language’, the closing number of ‘God Gave Me Feet for Dancing’ felt like an apt conclusion to a night of celebration truly emphasising the power of youth and music.
BBC Radio 6 Music Festival taking place in Manchester for a third consecutive year feels especially important in an era where the focus on independent and underground music is dwindling, especially outside of London. The importance of the northern music scene cannot be understated, and that was certainly felt and appreciated throughout the course of the night. However, it does in some ways feel a missed opportunity in not giving greater focus to more venues in and around Manchester, and providing more of a springboard to smaller local bands. Nonetheless, the festival instilled a sense of hope that with institutions like BBC Radio 6 Music, independent and exciting music will be given the attention it deserves.
