BRASS FUNKEYS AT THE JUNCTION
All Fabulous Photographs by Faruk Kara - amazing
The Jazz festival rockets its bluesy way to the end with some brilliant acts. This extraordinary bands sums up the energy in the air these past two weeks, and it keeps going through the weekend
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The Brass Funkeys took the stage in playful striped football shirts, shorts, trainers, or no shoes at all, outfits at odds with their talent, frankly they don’t need this - A nine-piece powerhouse—three trumpets, two trombones, a sax, drum kit, percussion, and a sousaphone emblazoned with their name—they arrived with a blast and somehow kept up the exuberant pace throughout the show. I was exhausted by the end just to watch them! Their unique sound stems from the sousaphone - in fact the band began with the chance purchase of a sousaphone on line! Its owner, John Craddick does it proud throughout the whole fabulous show.
From the start, their set felt like coordinated chaos: tight, big-band style delivered with wild free spirit. While some early tunes blended into each other sonically, they definitely grew on me—a cover featured a deep, brassy sousaphone solo, rumbled through the room. It showcased their knack for momentum together: rhythm-section volleys, brass lines leaning into and over each other with sharp coordinated endings that landed on the dot.
Throughout, the band wove in funky electronic rhythms, tambourines and shakers, adding texture to their brass foundations. “On Parade” burst forth with high-energy “sleuth-like” riffs and heavy, repetitive percussion, gradually building to a crescendo of ska-tinged fusion. The stage seemed barely equipped to contain the level of dancing, rocking, and sheer physicality the band exuded.
We loved the percussion solo: a wild, exploratory moment that drifted outside the usual boundaries of the drum kit. At one point, the percussionist was tapping rhythms on the venue’s galvanized steel banister, using the space itself as an instrument. Much of the show felt delightfully improvised, each musician stepping forward in turn to show off, only to be swept back into the group’s collective groove.
“Half and Half” was a standout—an explosion of syncopated funk with foot-pedal blocks, click-click rhythms, and a mechanical precision like a super-charged cuckoo clock. The band had showmanship too; in one entertaining piece, they came into the song one by one and layered the sound, to create a sort of performance pyramid.
The band have played together for fourteen years and treated us to their first and second ever songs, complete with audience-led chants of “Oi!” and got us all to clap and dance in syncopation. The finale switched gears into a slow, lilting ballad with finger-snapping, and more hand-clapping participation.
The Brass Funkeys clearly had as much fun as we did. Look out for this A team.
We expected a gentle warm up before the Brass Funkeys took the stage—but the opening act gripped the room. This young group, Lost Projects formed by students who “just love playing,” delivered their first-ever public gig with the confidence and chemistry of a far more seasoned band.
A six-piece hip-hop–RnB, funk, rap fusion, is hard to describe. Deeply original, they opened with a sound with rhythmic personality and beautiful musicality. It leaned heavily into funk grooves, hip-hop cadence, and bass-driven tones, punctuated by rock rhythms and chant -like hooks that got the room moving early
Our Reviewer - Eve Waldron
