If any band could raise the roof in Hastings on a Sunday evening, it was going to be these guys, and they didn’t disappoint.
On the final date of their UK tour, the eight Chicago brothers of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble were on top form.
The ensemble was tight - each member adding something distinctive to the texture of the sound while remaining connected to the whole.
The ensemble of brass, guitars and drums often overlaid with hip hop vocals, from a gentle beginning, built into many blistering crescendoes, with favourites from the back catalogue on the playlist - including the appropriately named Party Started - along with a few tracks from their forthcoming album Bad Boys Of Jazz.
From pure jazz to soul, funk, hip hop, and even drum and bass, it was a varied repertoire.
The vocals were muffled, which may have been down to the fact the venue is cavernous and it is notoriously difficult to get the sound spot on, but the gist was clear - these guys were consummate professionals, giving it their all until the very end of the tour and the more they played the more energised they became.
It was over way too soon.
Four stars
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