Crowd Company

There was one tiny little issue at the Pizza Express Jazz Café last night; no space to dance, not that a lot of people didn’t find space for themselves!
The place was packed out for the launch of Crowd Company’s latest album ‘Lowdown’ and the place was rammed.

I reviewed the new album a couple of weeks back and I have to say that the new material loses nothing in being played live – the band is funky as hell, exemplary musicians and the music is just perfect played live.

They played two sets, totalling nearly 2 hours, and the quality didn’t let up for a minute. They played all the new songs and a good selection from their previous two albums and the crowd was just getting more and more into it, raucous and clapping away with the groove.

My personal favourites were the stunning ‘A New Direction’ and a sublime version of ‘Brooklyn Summer’ but there wasn’t a weak moment all night. Robert Fleming’s guitar seemed to be at the very heart of everything with the horns and keyboards building the musical side into a furnace of funk.
Esther Dee and Jo Marshall’s vocals give them a soul groove as well and it was clear whu they sell out the room every time they play.

If you get the chance, go and see them live, just a really good, fun night.