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"Album Review: Melbourne Ska Orchestra (FOUR|FOUR/ABC Music)"

“This isn’t simply a Ska revival, but a delicately thought out concept with soaring arrangements that gives a nod to the traditional at the same time as remaining decidedly modern and giving the style an injection of life it doesn’t necessarily “need”, but is certainly most welcome”

“…this is the album of the year…Bless you Nicky Bomba for conceiving this band. 10/10?

Jon Jobbagy, Album Review, The AU Review, 2013 - The AU Review


"Album Review: Melbourne Ska Orchestra (FOUR|FOUR/ABC Music)"

“…step-lively takes on everything from the Get Smart theme to 'Papa’s got a Brand New Ska'"

Rolling Stone Magazine, Album Review, May 2013 - Rolling Stone Magazine


"Interview: Nicky Bomba from the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, 28 March 2013"

“The vibrancy and animation you find in the Melbourne Ska Orchestra’s debut self-titled album is a genuine ear opener. Composed of seasoned professional musicians who have perfected the ability to improvise, their overall sound can be described as nothing short of fresh and magical”.

Nikita Andrew, Lips Magazine, 28 March 2013 - Lips Magazine, 28 March 2013


"Single Review: We review Melbourne Ska Orchestra single The Best Things in Life Are Free"

The happiest Frank Sinatra cover you will ever hear is The Best Things In Life Are Free by Melbourne Ska Orchestra. A band that’s worthy of having “Orchestra” in their title, the 26-piece big band includes an 18-piece horn section, steel drums, organist, three singers and, most importantly, band members that aren’t afraid to skank with their instruments.

Conducted by Nicky Bomba (John Butler Trio), the band brings ska and reggae to life with this track. You can hear every instrument perfectly rendered by Bomba and it is impossible to stand still when you hear it. This is another cover that the band has given a new life to and it’s flawless.

Claire Rosenberg – AAA Backstage - AAA Backstage


"Album Review: Melbourne Ska Orchestra (FOUR|FOUR/ABC Music)"

Any self respecting chamber orchestra knows that they... - Time Off Magazine


"Live Review: Melbourne Ska Orchestra at The Gov, Sat Sep 21"



Without a doubt, Nicky Bomba is my favourite Aussie artist, and he is definitely among the most talented and versatile musicians of his time. And I’m pleased to say that his bout here in Adelaide leading the massive Melbourne Ska Orchestra at the Gov on Saturday certainly cemented that opinion!

Joining a choc-a-block crowd at the Gov just in time for the start of the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, you could feel excitement in the air. The mix of punters, from young to old, rockers to hipsters, and everything in between (including a few rocking rastas like me!), gave an inkling as to the night of variety that was in store. One by one, the 30-plus members of the MSO took to the stage while jamming out some reggae tunes, and I was certainly impressed to see them all fit on the stage!

Frontman Nicky Bomba came out sporting a megaphone emblazoned with his rasta scarf, and less than five minutes from the start of the show, he was already working the crowd and getting everyone dancing and singing along with his signature toasting style. With all the Orchestra members finally on stage and the crowd in a dancing mood, Nicky counted down and everyone jumped into the theme from Get Smart. The crowd went duly mad, and the pace kept up throughout.

Nicky and crew played through an impressive set list of tunes, covering every facet of ska that you can imagine, and with such a massive band behind him, it was great to see such a showcase of this musical style. Tunes like the band’s first single Lygon St Meltdown, Papa’s Got A Brand New Ska, and the new single Diplomat went down a treat. Caribbean ska took a journey to the continent for a touch of Mexico with Dean Went To Mexico (completo con introducción hablado en español!), and we all got a history lesson about the origins of ska as a prelude to the boogie Time For This Monkey. Halfway through, singer Rebecca Ari took the stage with the band and lent her beautiful voice to The Diplomat, and hung around for Learn To Love Again, and a rousing Hestitation. A drum kit was brought out for Nicky to show off his ample drumming skills for a cover of Gene Krupa’s Golden Wedding (which interestingly, you can find on Bomba’s first album), working the crowd into a mad state, before continuing the vibe with the band’s cover of The Best Things In Life Are Free, which they showcased on the Free TV ads in recent times. A couple more covers made for fine additions to the set, with the band’s take on The Specials A Message To You Rudy going down very well, as well as a brilliant steel pan solo of John Lennon’s Imagine. Brilliant stuff! With the band’s epic Third Time Lucky, every member was able to show off their soloing skills, before the main set came to a riotous close.

Of course, the packed crowd wasn’t prepared to let the band leave it at that, and Nicky was quick to acknowledge the enthusiasm. But rather than take ten minutes to get everyone off the stage, then ten minutes to get back, there was a quick pretend sojourn, and the band ‘returned’ for an encore, much to the delight of the punters. And the choice of tune, a cover of Madness’ Night Boat To Cairo was a fine selection to conclude proceedings and get every single member of the crowd dancing crazily (including a few band members, who decided to join the audience during the tune!) What a way to end what was undoubtedly one of the standout shows of the year. Sensational!

By Luke Balzan - Rip It Up Magazine


"Live Review: Melbourne Ska Orchestra February 15th 2013 @ Zoo Twilights, Melbourne Zoo"

Reviewed by Frances Vinall on 19 February 2013
Melbourne Ska Orchestra

Lying down in a leafy enclosure and safely behind bars, one of the lions at Melbourne Zoo is stretching its powerful jaws into a yawn.

The late afternoon sun highlights the sabre curve of its teeth – an intimidating sight to behold – and the audience surrounding its pen gasp and point at the spectacle. It shakes out its mane, pulls itself up onto four huge paws, and begins to roughhouse with one of the others.

It’s almost enough to distract you from the soundtrack to this live showing of a David Attenborough documentary: namely, the brassy whoops and lively beat of the Melbourne Ska Orchestra beginning their set.

Within the first five minutes of the Orchestra’s performance, a guttural snarl starts to punctuate the swell of the horn section.

One of the lions is clearly reacting to the foreign element – big band style ska performed by 26 remarkable musicians – infiltrating into its environment.

Since no one in the surrounding area speaks lion, it’s difficult to tell if the sudden addition to the soundscape is meant to be an endorsement or a warning. One thing is clear enough however – the repeated, dull roars are actually pretty in time with the music. This big cat has rhythm.

Competing with the animals for attention is a risk taken by all of the performers in the Zoo Twilight series, a run of Summer gigs that raise money for various endangered animals (Tonight’s allocated beast is the somewhat unglamorous, but still worthwhile, Lord Howe Island stick insect).

But both the Melbourne Ska Orchestra and their opening act, Mighty Duke and the Lords, give the regular residents at Melbourne Zoo a run for their money as far as entertaining the masses is concerned.

Dressed like cruise chip captains in crisp white slacks and jackets, luau’s cheerfully adorning their mic stands, Mighty Duke and the Lords play a series of double bass, trombone and saxophone arrangements plucked right out of the tropics.

Vocal responsibilities switch between the guitarist and the trombonist: the latter of whom takes to tangoing with his mic stand, as though it were a femme fatale and not a stick made of plastic and metal, during a particularly Argentinian sounding number.

If that was all a little too theatrical for you however, the sight of the percussionist playing the beer bottles towards the back of the stage has a certain calming effect, and it’s hard not to love any band who appreciates the value of a good harmonica solo.

As for the Melbourne Ska Orchestra themselves, after watching frontman Nicky Bomba for five minutes – conducting the band, conducting the audience, riffing like an auctioneer and scatting like a jazz monster – it’s clear the man was born to be in front of an audience.

At his direction, the myriad members of the Orchestra lead the crowd through a history lesson in ska and its roots: Madness is represented of course, along with the Specials, a cover of Minnie Smalls’ 1964 version of ‘My Boy Lollipop’, and Bob Marley and the Wailers’ ‘Simmer Down.’

These international samplings are contrasted against the heaping of local references found in original offerings, like the impossibly upbeat “Lygon Street Meltdown” (a single taken from their long overdue debut album, to be released this year).

Also scattered throughout their performance is solo upon dazzling solo: the Caribbean calm of the steel pan, a clarinettist who holds an unfeasibly high note for an unfeasibly long time, every brass instrument known to man, the keyboardist… each player has their turn in the spotlight.

After the music stops and the picnickers begin to trail through the exit gates, the lions can still be heard over the din of kids running around and chip packets being crunched into picnic hampers. The sound is a reminder of one of the stranger revelations of the evening.

African jungle cats and ska: they’re a match made in heaven. - Tonedeaf


"Album Review: Melbourne Ska Orchestra (FOUR|FOUR)"

Review: Melbourne Ska Orchestra (FOUR|FOUR)

ABC / Universal

Having explored the lost world of calypso and mento most stylishly with Bustamento on last year’s Intrepid Adventures… album, the indefatigable Nicky Bomba has turned his attention to another oft-overlooked Caribbean riddim. Australia’s go-to reggae man instigated the Melbourne Ska Orchestra with a world record bid in mind – to gather together as many horn players as he could to perform a ska song. From that genesis, a 33-piece band with an 18-piece brass section was born. A decade down the track, the MSO is a serious musical entity with a swag of big festival credits in Australia and ambitions to tour the world. Their eponymous debut album will be a powerful tool in that enterprise.

Although it kicks off with an example of the ‘50s and ‘60s tunes that dominated the band’s original repertoire – a Skatalites-inspired reading of the signature tune to the vintage TV series Get Smart – this eagerly awaited release comprises overwhelmingly original compositions, the majority written by Bomba with ensemble input. There’s some interesting variations on a ska theme among them, such as the salsa-slanted tribute to Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, ‘He’s A Tripper’, and the New Orleans R&B-flavoured ‘Third Time Lucky’. Both songs offer hip, tongue-in-cheek observations on courting, the latter opening with the teasing lines, “First time you get a sweet taste / Opens up a little door / Second time you get a bite at the cherry / But it leaves you wanting more.” The Latin-lilted ‘When Dean Went To Mexico’, a vehicle for its titular co-composer Dean Hilson’s tenor sax with Lennox Jordan’s steel pan nicely offsetting the horns, tantalises with its promise of ,“Late nights and tequila bars” and “Mariachi fever.”

It’s truly a sweet thing to hear the Orchestra in full flight, having fun blasting out wicked toons and riddims. ‘Learn To Love Again’ is classic rocksteady, well sung by Rebecca Ari. ‘The Diplomat’ has the ring of vintage swing in its step and exudes good-natured braggadocio, “We’re solid, rockin’ solid and we deliver / We tackle every little thing that ever made you quiver.” The instrumental ‘Katoomba’, featuring trombone and Hammond organ, emits a contrastingly darker tone.

By Tony Hillier - Rhythms Magazine


"Live Review: The Melbourne Ska Orchestra Hits the Metro, Sydney, 03/05/2013"

By Amy Kyriacou

Last Friday Sydney welcomed The Melbourne Ska Orchestra in for a night of Ska-tastic goodness. Hot on the trail of their debut album launch, the thirty piece collective blew our minds, stretched our vocal chords and showed us a real good time.

With its sumptuous theater styling, booming sound system and amphitheater layout, The Metro Theater - Sydney's landmark independent rock venue was the perfect choice for a mass skanking session with The Melbourne Ska Orchestra. As we milled about in the bar area admiring the huge art deco chandeliers, excited electricity hung thick in the air. Young hippy-kids sipped cider alongside dudes well into their 50‘s, as Pork Pie hats and Doc Martins mingled with black Blues Brothers suits and regular Joe’s alike.


Supporting act, The AuSkas got the crowd pre-pumped with an energetic mix of well delivered covers and original compositions; singer Carol Bernhard wooed us with her husky toned, cool as a cucumber stage presence; but it was the aged, foul mouthed and comedic drummer, Dave Rowe who really stole the show. Raucously ranting about miss-treated support acts he had the crowd roaring with laughter and baying for more.

As the stage was prepared the crowd geared up in eager anticipation. Half an hour later and it was on; the huge collective slowly filtering onto the stage in big band procession, horns first, mayhem following. THIRTY musicians later and the stage was filled to bursting point with a lone camera guy in serious danger of being steamrollered by an overly zealous steel drummer and a fez wearing percussionist (who strangely, resembled Bez from the Happy Mondays!)


What followed was a high octane, skank-tastic, live music spectacular of biblical proportion! The on-stage energy ripped into the crowd like a fever and watching in amazement I was rendered gobsmacked as band leader, Nicky Bomba, orchestrated musicians AND audience in perfect harmony. Utterly captivated by this semi-lunatic, the audience demonstrated next level crowd participation skills. “Now that’s a front man”, I thought to myself as, at his command we sang so loudly my tonsils almost exploded.

Smashing through an array of original material and awesome covers - including The Specials, Rudy, a firm favorite of mine; Nicky also regaled us with a brief history lesson in Ska music. The aptly titled; Dean Went To Mexico had us skanking like wild animals and wishing we had a set of Maracas to wave; add a tribute to the old Melbourne underbelly; Lygon Street Meltdown, a mega-tribute to ska/reggae legend, Lee "Scratch" Perry - He's a Tripper, PLUS a touch of sexy from the beautiful and exceptionally talented Rebecca Ari, and you have yourself one hell of an eye popping performance.


While there’s no denying we all love a good cover, especially when done well, it’s also refreshing to see a band breathing new life into a genre. MSO demonstrated this with enough subtlety and respect to the original flavors so not to scare us away, whilst pumping enough experimental juice to give us an enlightening change of scenery.

After an hour of shouting, screaming and rampant leg flailing; crowd and band were flowing as one; with both my mind and ear-drums utterly blown. This spectacle of a band had stolen my heart. For me, this is what Ska music is all about; positivity and good vibes which know no boundaries. It’s a genre for all, soul music for the masses and a damn good reason to dance your tits off! As Nicky said himself; there’s a fine line between madness and genius, and I think these guys hang in perfect balance. This is organized and exceptionally entertaining mayhem at the highest level of awesome.


What began as a world record attempt to culminate the largest number of horn players on stage, at the same time playing the ska-skank, has evolved into a festival destroying, stage rocking and highly successful THIRTY piece Ska band. Now, after more than a decade of sold-out shows and EPIC festival appearances the MSO has come together to produce a different kind of record.

ABOUT THE BAND

The new album is available through ITUNES
For more info on this ridiculously awesome band click HERE
For more EPIC live music check out The Metro Theatre - Sydney Party People


"Live Review: The Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Metro Sydney, 03/05/2013"

The Melbourne Ska Orchestra
May 7th 2013 @ The Metro
Reviewed by Paul Busch on 8 May 2013

The Melbourne Ska Orchestra, which started as a whim a decade ago in St. Kilda, finally brought their entire kit and caboodle to Sydney this past Friday night.

Jamming close to 30 people on stage with their horns, keyboards, drums, guitars and the like is no logistical dream. Though with bandleader Nicky Bomba at the helm of this Titanic of a band, the pure fun-driven Ska sound and energy of this music was right on course.

The joy of Ska music is the horns and there was no scarcity of them on The Metro stage this evening. Ska was born in the 1950s when Jamaicans started to hear Fats Domino, Louis Jordan and others over the radio waves from down near New Orleans drifting over the Gulf of Mexico to the Caribbean Sea.

Taking this form of music one step beyond was the skank of the guitars and running bassline, which gives this music the drive you could feel move the floorboards tonight.

The energy level in The Metro was high and as the mix came together during the first few songs there was already a large amount of movement in the room.

The dance floor was packed in like a subway car in Tokyo and pushing was allowed as people moved up and down with the beat. The swarm truly came alive early in the set to the bouncing beat of the band’s new single “Lygon Street Meltdown”. The Special’s sing-along, “A Message To You Rudy”, followed and the audience participation was just being ignited.

Since Sydney gig audiences generally have more in common to stalagmites, it was a joyful evening to see everyone sweating, dancing and singing.

Bomba was exuberant in leading the Orchestra, playing a stellar drum solo on “Golden Wedding” and he was also the ringleader in getting the audience involved. It initially seemed stale when he split the audience into two parts to sing along with him and the Orchestra. Alas, Bomba made this into a triumphant experience when he multiplied the number of parts the audience sang to six and this had everyone participating. Jubilation was the emotion being propelled from all the faces in the room.

The oldest song played this evening was the cover of the 1925 song “The Best Things Are Life Are Free”. This song showcased the vocals of Pat Powell, who is no stranger to Sydneysiders, as well as some stunning ensemble horn playing. In addition to that, there was a delightful interplay with the steel drums of Lennox Jordan, which gave the message of this uplifting song a true brightness.

The band proved they were going to play until the last person was standing. The covers of “Nightboat To Cairo” by Madness, “Simmer Down” by Bob Marley and “Monkey Man” by The Specials, made for invigorating ending.

There may not be much money in taking this outfit on the road but the love of the music is what this is all about. Seeing the sweaty and smiling faces head to the bar for a cold beverage was proof enough that tonight was a stunning success and that music for pleasure and dancing is a tonic for all.
- Tonedeaf


"Live Review: The Diplomat Tour Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Gordon Forester, 21/09/2013"

The Melbourne Ska Orchestra (MSO) played a sold out gig on Saturday night at The Gov.

Babylon Burning did a cracking good job of opening. Fronted by Daniel Spencer, the tight septet got the crowd ska-ready, whilst delivering some compelling messages.

The crowd was relaxed and diverse; there were plenty of perfectly coiffed ladies in pretty dresses and fellas adorned in pork pie hats and Fred Perry shirts. There was some serious 2 Tone-ing. I even saw a waxed ‘tache. It was grand to see Adelaidians frock and suit up, a move generally encouraged by the MSO’s vivacious conductor Nicky Bomba. Most wore their dancing shoes, ready for (ska)action.

The 20-odd sharp looking MSO members paraded on stage like they owned it, and own it they did. Nicky Bomba is very persuasive with an infectious energy. When he asked the crowd to get jumping, nobody needed to ask how high. This was the realm of the skanker. Twerkers need not apply.

To coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of ska, the MSO released their self-titled debut album earlier this year. From the album, Get Smart, Lygon Street Meltdown, and my personal favourite, the newly released single The Diplomat were very well received. If the latter tunes are a taste of more original ska to come, stay tuned to MSO; we are in for a treat.

Signature staples of the MSO included The Specials’ Message to Rudi and Madness’s Night Boat To Cairo, both of which saw audience interaction peak.

Special nods to Tony Hicks for the greatest clarinet moves ever in The Golden Wedding (certainly the longest); Lennox Jordan for his steel pan version of Imagine; the ludicrously cool front-men Pat Powell and Steve Montgomery; and Rebecca Ari who floated in like a welcome cool breeze to seduce the eager crowd.

Bomba managed the band in a way that makes multi-skilling look like the most menial of tasks. His passion is obvious but he never got so lost in the music he didn’t know exactly where he was and where he was taking us. After a quick reshuffle, he continued to impress, taking centre stage on the drums. It made me wonder if Bomba, who has both rhythm and music in spades, could possibly ask for anything more.

If Nicky Bomba believes that music is a great unifier, he certainly practices what he preaches. With choreography that may have looked a bit naf if anyone else had attempted it, the dipping and swaying of the brass section just confirmed the first impression that this is a well oiled machine who know how to get a crowd on board.

If an orchestra can be orchestrated, Bomba succeeded. Melbourne Ska Orchestra? You had me at “whay ya yo yo yooo”.

MSO is the big, beautiful, feather-costumed, high heeled, sexpot of bands, with more razzle dazzle than a troupe of Vegas showgirls. They were magnetic, hypnotic, and altogether unreasonably enticing.

If Bomba is the Professor of the sum of the parts – thanks. I just got schooled.

Up-beat me Master.

Reviewed by Gordon Forester - Glam Adelaide


"Melbourne Ska Orchestra | Melbourne Ska Orchestra (feature album)"


Feb 15, 2013 Updated Feb 22, 2013

The debut disc from the 30-strong collective is this week's feature.

Tracklist:

Get Smart

Lygon St Meltdown

Time To Wake Up

The Diplomat

Dean Went To Mexico

Learn To Love Again

He's A Tripper

Third Time Lucky

While You Wait

Katoomba

Papa's Got A Brand New Ska

Time For This Monkey

Paradiso

The Best Things In Life Are Free

Singalong Day

MELBOURNE SKA ORCHESTRA ARE:

NICKY BOMBA BAND LEADER, VOCALS, GUITAR, DRUMS

PAT POWELL VOCALS

REBECCA ARI VOCALS

STEVE MONTGOMERY VOCALS , CHIKA’S AND HUH

BARRY DEENICK BASS

STEVE PHILLIPS DRUMS & PERCUSSION

GEORGE SERVANIS DRUMS & PERCUSSION

ELVIS ALJUS DRUMS & PERCUSSION

DAVE JOSEPH DRUMS & PERCUSSION

LENNOX JORDAN STEEL PAN

ANTONIO MILILLO GUITAR

RODRIGO PINO GUITAR

MICHAEL HAVIR PIANO & HAMMOND, GLOCK, MELODICA

JAKE SAVONA PIANO & HAMMOND

MICHAEL CARUANA PIANO

PATRICK CRONIN TRUMPET

DAVID HENRY TRUMPET

DORIAN WEST TRUMPET

SARAH HEFFERNAN TRUMPET

TED KAZAN TRUMPET

PAUL COYLE TRUMPET & TROMBONE

PETER SLIPPER TROMBONE

KYNAN ROBINSON TROMBONE

WALLY MALONEY TROMBONE

SALLY FORD ALTO SAX & SPANISH

TONY HICKS CLARINET & ALTO SAX

DEAN HILSON TENOR SAX

JUSTIN FORSTER TENOR SAX

PETE MITCHELL ALTO/TENOR/BARITONE SAX

LAURIE BONGAILAS TENOR/BARITONE SAX

CAM HASSARD TENOR SAX

ROB CALVERT TENOR SAX

PIERS GOODING TENOR SAX - ABD Dig Music


Discography

> "Melbourne Ska Orchestra" (album, 8 March 2013, FOUR|FOUR)
> "The Diplomat" (single from "Melbourne Ska Orchestra, 2013)
> "Lygon Street Meltdown" (single from "Melbourne Ska Orchestra", 2013)
> "Best Things In Life Are Free" (single from "Melbourne Ska Orchestra", 2012)
> "Rude and Ready" Melbourne Ska Orchestra (festival bootleg)

Photos

Bio

In 2003, the time was right. A world-record attempt to have the largest number of horn players on stage at the same time playing the ska-skank saw a slew of musicians take the stage at St Kilda’s Gershwin Room, and although nobody remembered to check if the record had actually been set, from this sold-out performance the Melbourne Ska Orchestra was born. Assembled from some of Australia’s preeminent names in Ska and Reggae and fronted by inimitable frontman Nicky Bomba (Bomba, Bustamento, John Butler Trio), the soaring popularity of the band is seeing the MSO fast becoming a fixture of Australia’s musical landscape.

Now, after more than a decade of sold-out shows and electrifying festival appearances the MSO has come together to produce a different kind of record. Their self-titled debut album showcases the versatility of a genre that has influenced some of the most venerated names in music, from Bob Marley to Gwen Stefani, as well as demonstrating a uniquely Australian vision of the exuberance and freewheeling colour of contemporary Ska.

“I’ve always thought Ska was one of the most universal forms of music,” reflects bandleader Nicky Bomba, “I’d always had it in the back of my mind that when people heard it they would be instantly converted, but what I didn’t expect – like our first Bluesfest gig, for example – was that by the time the second gig came around word of mouth had really spread, and the audience was just massive, people dancing as far as you could see. I think the combination of the joy you get from the music and the activity that happens on stage – having thirty people on stage at once is its own wonderful, uncontrollable mayhem – is quite a spectacle.”

With this combination of on-stage energy, the support from a rapidly swelling fan-base and the encouragement from a record company, studio time was booked and the first steps towards recording an album were underway. Given the MSO is already composed of some of the finest Ska and Reggae musicians in the country, finding the right talent for such an undertaking was never a problem. How to capture that live atmosphere, however – that raw feel-it-in-your-bones energy – was the next concern, and it was solved simply by allowing a group of people united by their love of performing to sit down and brainstorm until the sound was right.

Sound engineer Robin Mai (John Butler Trio, Augie March), Nicky’s long time partner in sound crime, was a vital part of the process, experimenting with mic placement until the sweet spot became apparent. ” We always knew” says Robin ” that the secret to getting it right was capturing the harmonic energy in the room when the instruments combined. That was our first port of call when mixing the album too.”

“I have never experienced a recording session like it,” says trombonist Kynan Robinson, “full of passion, energy, positivity, generosity, incredible musicality but, most importantly, a collective love of Ska. Ska in all it’s different and diverse forms – a perfect metaphor for this orchestra. What an amazing experience this band is.”

Fellow trombonist, Wally Maloney, agrees. “The process was a new experience for me. Usually when you’re a horn player in the studio, it’s lots of waiting around to overdub parts. Instead, the method we used was everyone, all 25 plus of us in the same room the entire time. Nicky would sing the horn line, tell the rhythm section the chords, give us two minutes to work it out and hit record. Bam! Done. We were chugging through 7 or 8 songs a day, songs that didn’t exist in the morning, were finish products by that night.”

“There’s a lot of love there right from the start, and that counts for a lot,” Nicky explains. “[We're] all working musicians, and all understand that putting together something like this takes a lot of work, a lot of planning and a lot of respect for both the music and the process. It’s also very fresh. We haven’t just finished six years of touring and are at each other’s throats, so the whole thing felt like the start of a relationship. You have your honeymoon period… So I did my homework. I wanted to be as professional as possible, almost as a way of respecting that no one was going to get paid a fortune for this, so the more work I can do, the easier the recording process. As a result, a lot of the band came up to me and said, “That was actually the best recording experience I’ve ever had.” It was a really clean process. These musicians, I have such respect for them and their expertise, so there was always the idea of further expanding ideas once we stepped in the studio, to take a section of song and try something new with it. That’s where the magic happens.”

The resultant magic is an album that is brimming with unexpected arrangements and seductive harmonies, of powerful horns and foot-stomping drums. Each song is like a vignette from a Ska-infused storybook, full of cinematic colour and characters bursting to life from every verse. This debut f