Music
Press
an upbeat hip-hop/funk ensemble with dynamic arrangements swinging from ambient jazz to full-on punk energy - Contraband Sessions
a modern funk band that didn't make me want to rip my own ears off - BBC Bristol Uncovered
a frenetic, unhinged yet soulful brand of funk... live, they are a formidable force, combining evident musicianship with an energy that channels a definite punk vibe - London Tourdates
Next up the Ruckus Collective, sometime readers of this blog and one of the best new bands i’ve seen for a long, long time. Funky, jazzy, rocky, dubby, all thrown together with some seriously talented musicians and some top Mc’ing. You have to go and see these guys. Been to see them again already since last Saturday on the strength of this gig. - Bristol Gaffiti
Unique amongst local groups I’ve seen over the last few years, Ruckus Collective are a band that really make you move. No gimmicks, just a ferocious jazz-funk-rock fusion with a rhythm section that could drive any band. They have even the most apathetic of audience members tapping their feet; and most enthusiastic openly dancing - including a girl to my right almost rolling out of her hips.
Comparisons to The Red Hot Chilli Peppers are lazy; but built around solid bass riffs, and what sounds like (though probably aren‘t) improvised guitar ones, they do at times recall Tribute to Jack Johnson era Miles Davis. Add to that early Parliament, a dash of Dancehall, Hip-Hop, and some post-punk guitar work, and you’re closer to their sound. Of course, none of this really matters nowadays when everything we listen to is hybrid. The important thing is that Ruckus Collective can’t be ignored. Even the guys on the fruit machines stop to listen.
Though playing to a small audience, the groups MC rhymes gamely above the furious sax duo that really fronts the band, but is unfortunately less than clearly audible (though fighting to be heard between the busy sound of the band was never going to be easy.)
The group fly through the set, barely pausing for breath, before sax-blasting their way through a version of These Are A Few of My Favourite Things. The Sound of Music with an entirely different kind of snowflake on its nose and eyelashes. They finish with a slightly disappointing Ska number that sees them unfortunately drop to a similar humdrum level as a number of local ska/funk/punk groups I’ve seen. However, when you’ve got a guitarist who knows his way around an angular, Verlaine-esque post punk riff, you can survive most things.
Live, Ruckus Collective are a group that sound like they’re having fun, which is infectious. It would spread through a festival crowd like the smallpox virus. Tonight seems like a warm-up for greater things. - Live Music Scene.co.uk
Ruckus Collective are bold as brass and funkier than old socks - one of Bristol's hottest bands right now - Mad Method
Discography
"Rise of The Ruckusaurus" - EP 2008
"Stop, Drop, Dance!" - LP 2008
Photos
Bio
From the dark depths of Bristol’s legendary underground music scene come five beatnik students and one garden centre sales assistant, with a flair for crushing grooves and poignant lyricism that ignites on stage in a manic explosion of relentless kinetic energy.
Although existent in various forms since October 2006, it was not until early 2008 that the Ruckus Collective really took off, quickly earning a reputation as one of the city’s most exciting new bands. A constantly evolving palette of influences including funk, jazz, rock, hip-hop, ska, reggae and ambient electronica has drawn comparisons with the likes of Ozomatli and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but in reality it is impossible to categorise this remorselessly genre-smashing punk fusion party sound.
The recording of Stop, Drop, Dance! in June ’08 represented a high point for the six members, keen to capture the group’s live potential with a debut album funded by months of heavy gigging. The studio experience had ups and downs, but its result is a disc that successfully portrays the edgy creativity and incendiary dancefloor power which never fails to raise a ruckus.
Shaky times followed the recording of Stop, Drop, Dance! as University commitments caused the removal of several members from the country. Despite this enforced hiatus, spirits were kept high in the knowledge that the inevitable reunion would be one worth sticking around for.
One year on in the fall of 2009, the band are back together and stronger than ever with an increasingly heavy set. Prepare for a Ruckus ....
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