Recently (I say recently, when I think about it it’s the past 2 and a half years or so) I’ve been really getting in to brass based bands; Hot 8 Brass Band, Sam and the Womp, and especially Too Many Zooz. Hackney Colliery Band are among those bands that have really stood out to me and featured heavily in my playlists.
They were first brought to my attention when Spotify recommended them to me as music I might like based on my tastes, they hit the nail on the head. Admittedly, they did disappear off of my radar for a while until one day when I took myself for a stroll down Nottingham’s Riverside Festival back in August. It was a sunny day and I had sampled some local chilli jams and sauces, so was feeling a little euphoric from my chilli high..pretty sure it was the chillies. Approaching the live music stage, I heard the sound of trumpets at the Walls of Jericho. Literally. I consciously picked up my pace so I could face the stage and there was this incredible band playing a brass rendition of Prodigy’s Jericho and Out of Space. Craning my head to see if I could see a banner for who they were, I knew I’d heard this somewhere before, and when I saw who it was it all made sense. I was genuinely filled with excitement that, here in front of me, for free, was a band that I’d quite happily have paid to see a few months before but had regrettably forgotten about.
Fast-forward a few months and I had an opportunity to see them as part of Nottingham’s Hockley Hussle. Playing in the Spiegeltent on the Market Square. A New Orleans style jazz band line up consisting of two trumpets, two saxes, two trombones, two drummers, a sousaphone, and their respective owners, Hackney Colliery band came with the energy from the start. Now, I’ll hold my hands up, I can’t remember the names of all the tracks they played. There was a lot of new material from their latest album, Sharpener (Straight to number three in the jazz charts!), which having listened to, is an album to me where I wouldn’t need to know the song titles as I’d listen to the whole album with them all being favourites. There were a few that I was disappointed weren’t played, notably No Diggity; the first track of theirs that I heard that caused me to fall in love with them. They treated us to Prodigy again, though.
For those that didn’t know of Hackney Colliery Band (not a real colliery band) before, certainly did afterwards. What is always great to see, is their finale, and people’s reaction to it. Think of it as an extremely chilled out conga line, led by the band, to the tune of Toto’s Africa. If you like brass, or jazz, or music, then give these guys a listen.
By Johnny Banks
