"We are missing Columbia a little bit but not too much," says La-33's bassist, principal songwriter and band leader Sergio Meija. "It's the first large-scale tour we've done, so it's like an adventure."

Pronounced "la treinta y tres", the salsa band are named after the street in downtown Bogota where their headquarters is based.

This is the group's second visit to the UK, following on from a performance at the Africa Oye Festival in Liverpool last year.

The band received international exposure through La Pantera Mambo, an exuberant Latin take on Henry Mancini's Pink Panther Theme, which appeared on their eponymous 2004 debut.

The addition of a third singer, Pablo Andres Martinez, saw La-33 enlarge to a 12-piece for second album Gozalo. Recorded with Grammy Award-winner Mauricio Canno, it continued their potent mixture of dynamic original compositions and cover versions.

Founded six years ago by Sergio and his brother Santiago, the group now consists of three singers, three percussionists, four horn players, bass and piano.

You would be advised to visit YouTube and sample the extraordinary energy of their live shows, of which they play an average of more than 150 a year.

The driving, exuberant sound represents a break with tradition, with the members' backgrounds lying in rock, funk, ska, folk and classical music.

"Most of the people in the band hadn't played salsa before, so we have a different sound because of that," Meija explains. "Because in Bogota, salsa is not traditional. Salsa is mostly played in Columbia's second city, Cali.

"We started listening to 1960s and 1970s salsa music from New York city. We took the basis of our sound from that and then started to develop our own style."

"The lyrics speak of many different things," continues timbale player Juan David Fernandez. "Some speak about partying, some are about love, heartbreak. All the kinds of stuff which happen in everybody's life.

"People should expect many surprises. We have a lot of things we've put together. It's going to be nice. Don't expect to see what you're used to seeing from other bands who play this kind of music. We're ready to have a good time."

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