Fans of Flomotion will have been following the progress of Nick Luscombe’s FlomotionRadio.com since Podcast#1 interview with Fin Greenall (as part of Sideshow as opposed to Fink and his latest album Sort Of Revolution) up to the last night’s album launch of Get The Blessing’s new album Bugs In Amber.

As Get The Blessing were so brilliant at the Big Chill House for the 1st Birthday show last year (see review HERE), there was only one place to be last night as Cargo hosted three band and Nick and Grant Little (love the Ramsay Lewis Salongo track) on DJ duties.

Nick’s certainly moved on since our interview a couple of years ago (see HERE) and it’s well worth checking out flomotionradio.com to get the up to date what’s on as GTB were ‘joined’ by BAFTA award winning film maker John Minton who provided the background visuals for the gig.

Also supporting were stable mates of GTB at Cake Records, John The Savage who were not only making their live debut appearance but also their last! Well, under the name of John The Savage anyway as there’s a imminent change due. So any name suggestions for a cutting edge band that are somewhere between Stonphace meets Pink Floyd (even to the extent of some dry ice usage) send to Cake who are now “officially a label” in their own right now they’ve got three bands to look after.

The musical soul-food in the Cake sandwich was Ernesto (aka Jonathan Bäckelie) as a four piece live band. This multi-talented guy from Gothenburg, Sweden is equally at home with house, electronic dance, Latin and jazz as vocal based soul. He’s as likely to be on an Atjazz and Motorcitysoul release as his own releases; and whilst on the subject, watch out for Mr. Beatnik and Marc Rapson on the remix of ‘Underlined’.

Before Get The Blessing hit the stage, I had a chance to grab a word with band’s incredibly talented saxophonist, Jake McMurchie. He was telling me that the band actually started out as an Ornette Coleman tribute band! His early musical influences were the influential sax player Andy Sheppard from the UK as well as the greats like Coltrane, Rollins and David Murray. And whilst on the subject of Keith and Julie Tippett, the Bristol music scene, John Minton’s film, he says, “I met Ivor Cutler once”. Apparently, it was a chance meeting as a friend of his mum lived in a flat below the great man but it obviously was left an impression on the young Jake. You’ll recall GTB played a Cutler track at last years’ Big Chill Radio Show (see HERE).

On the new album Bugs In Amber he says that after 18 months gigging as a band, they improvise more and “recreate” live. And the link up with Minton is not just co-incidental as the new album has been written with a film score in mind; “this is the bit where [film cliché] happens”, like the Starksy & Hutch car chase on ‘Music Style Product’. And the obsession with bags on their heads? That dates back to Portishead on Saturday Night Live and something to do with someone saying “All is yes” (All Is Yes being the title of the debut album on Cake that won the 2008 Best Album Of The Year award at the BBC Jazz Awards when they were known as merely The Blessing). What’s with Cake bands and name changes? At least, Neil Cowley won’t be changing his name.

And I didn’t round to asking about playing on Stephanie Mckay’s debut album! Anyway, this is where the notes get beer stained, a bit sweaty and unintelligible but I can tell you that they played favourites ‘Cake Hole’, ‘Equal And Opposite’ and ‘Thermos’. And from the new album, ‘So It Goes’, Yes I Said Yes I Will Yes’, ‘Tarp’, ‘Einstein Action Figure’, ‘Music Style Product’ with a mixed up climax of ‘Bleach Cake’, ‘Bugs In Amber’ and ‘That Ain’t It’. Phew! And keep an eye on their myspace as they’ll be gigging throughout the summer with appearances at The Royal Festival Hall as part of Ornette Coleman’s Meltdown and at the other extreme, the Swanage Jazz Festival (just down the road from the ‘Square & Compass’).

So, thoroughly exhausted and getting back to where we came in with Salongo, the title of Lewis’ album (as featured on the Keepintime DVD) is an expression from Zaire meaning “We come together to create something beautiful out of love” and that was certainly the case last night at FlowmotionLive. Don’t miss the next one.

Links:
www.theblessing.co.uk
flomotionradio.com
http://www.last.fm/music/Nick+Luscombe
www.swanagejazz.org.uk