Music / acid jazz
Review: Run Logan Run/Dundundun, Jam Jar
Of course this was a party – there was an album to be launched, after all, but mostly isn’t that what we’ve been doing since the summer, anyway? And any doubts about the way this gig was headed were dispelled once Dundundun opened their box of tropical grooves and let rip.
Dundundun: (l-r)Justin Edwards, Brian Hargreaves, Ben Plocki, Jackson Lapes
Was this their debut as a six-piece electro-acoustic outfit? If so it was a very accomplished arrival with a rich, full Afro-Latin sound fronted by the feisty horns of The Heavy’s Brian Hargreaves and No Go Stop bass sax player Ben Plocki and driven by the percussion duo of Justin Edwards on kit and Jackson Lapes. The Afro-Cuban opener slipped into a Brazilian 5-time number complete with Tropicalia-style synth from Dorian Prophet-Childs, and then another gear change found us in brisk Cumbia territory and the effect on the dance floor was instantaneous. Like I said – party time, and if Dundundun’s blend of irresistible groove, flashy arrangements and bursts of impassioned solo jazziness isn’t next year’s festival must-have then the world will be missing out.
Big Jeff (l) and Run Logan Run (l-r) Matt Brown, Dan Messore, Andrew Neil Hayes
Any lingering FOMO doubts about being in the right place were of course dispelled by the presence of Big Jeff, a long-time fan of Run Logan Run. After spending lockdown as serial collaborators the band appeared tonight as a trio with guitarist Dan Messore joining drummer Matt Brown and saxophonist Andrew Neil Hayes. With a merch table groaning under the weight of hot-from-the-press vinyl they proceeded to encourage sales of their latest album For A Brief Moment We Could Smell The Flowers by the simple strategy of playing it with all the energy and commitment at their disposal.
is needed now More than ever
The record is infused with EDM-influenced bass electronica from producer Riaan Vosloo but in his absence guitarist Messore brought a rockier vocabulary to things. It was a bit like Motorhead being invaded by free jazz reedman Albert Ayler and the grinding rhythms and rock-hewn chord sequences suited Brown’s frenetic drumming while inflaming saxophonist Hayes into coruscating sheets of sound. It was a sledgehammer announcement of intent that definitely suited Big Jeff’s dancing style.
It wasn’t all like that, however, and things calmed down for the more baroque Give Me Back My Slippers, with Hayes’ meticulous circular breathing laying a minimalist arpeggio pattern for Brown’s more exploratory drumming. The languidly unfolding Cold Showers had a similarly understated dynamic that was, in turn, nicely wrong-footed by the jazz-disco dub workout of old RLR favourite Caveman Disco.
RLR joined by Annie Gardiner
That rounded off things neatly but, after the usual album launch announcements, it turned out things weren’t exactly over as the band returned with a fourth member: bass playing vocalist Annie Gardiner. Suddenly we had a post-punk rock band on stage for a couple of vocal-led numbers, the insurgent lyrics reminiscent of Hayes’ Schoolboy Death Trio project of a decade ago. It was an interesting twist in the tail of the evening that raised all kinds of questions about the direction the band are heading in, now that lockdown is over and a big tour looms.
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
