What a sheer joy to have a sneaky night of live music on a school night. It’s the adult equivalent of a snog and and a balloon behind the bike sheds (choose in what order).

On a day where it seemed the world was heady intoxicated dizzy with the thought of the return of Van and whoever he may persuade to be a Bottleman headlining an over expensive festival next summer, real and fresh talent was on show immediately at Headrow House for a tenner. Move away from the herd dear reader, that’s all I will say.

First up was local band Coal Mob. I was wanting to catch this young band live, as they have only released one single Bounce to date and well, before this evening, I couldn’t decide if they had launched with their best track, or whether there was even more lurking in the cards held close to their chest. It was definitely the latter.

The evening started a little dis-spiriting given there were about five of us punters in the room, and the band seemed gutted that even one of their regular audience hadn’t made the cut. They needn’t have worried; as soon as the gig started, a respectable and appreciative crowd came upstairs from the bar to watch the slightly loose but really promising performance from the band.

Coal Mob cite Shame as an influence, and I got the feel of a powerful band who are quality, but who at the same time don’t take themselves too seriously. With a seriously good imaginative drummer to keep the beats interesting, and an intense feel to the vocals, a taste for a touch of psyche with the synth in particular, and a generally rich musical tapestry, there was a lot to draw out from this performance.

Coal Mob are a very likable band, and to my ear one well worth seeing live on a regular basis, just to see just how they might grow and develop.

I enjoyed the live version of Bounce, which had a slightly different arrangement and a more serious and hard feel than the recording, which added a depth. The guys are back in the studio soon to record a new single, Ceiling, which should cement (plaster?) their great start. Catch these guys as soon as you can is my tip.

I’ve spent a lifetime steering well clear of all things Jazz, despite it being my sister’s serious musical tipple. I will possibly now spend the rest of my days regretting spending so much of it just tapping a finger or two on the very edges of that vast glitzy ballroom called Jazz.

In the vast space that is my ignorance, I dare not say too much about the headliner for the evening, Belfast based Robocobra Quartet.

There is of course, jazz and jazz, and Robocobra felt more like a band with serious musical taste and ambition rather than a full on free form expression of noise. This was what I might describe as Beefheart jazz, filled with lush beats, and repeated tics of rhythm, all bound together with vocal observations of the minutiae of life. There is that pleasing jolting to the beat, which perhaps was the unifying feature to the opening act Coal Mob.

The net result was engaging and entrapping, you wanted to simultaneously hear more, but also hang onto that beat and rhythm a while longer.

The other special thing about this tour is that Robocobra Quartet were bringing new songs to the audience while retaining some familiar tracks too from their back catalogue. To make the most of the evening, I had given their most recent album (2022’s Living Isn’t Easy) quite a few spins so as to get a measure for the band.

What I find interesting is that Robocobra Quartet consists of 6 members, of which 4 play live dates. I guess it makes complete sense, when you think about something like a classical orchestra, but for a touring band, it feels really quite unusual.

I admired the perfection of this band, the way there were loose skins drawn over the drum surface to slightly deaden the sound, the way the sax was played, sometimes purposefully on the edge.

It felt like a band of high brow perfectionists doing things that the ordinary punter would not notice. At the same time, the warm, happy and self depreciating way they addressed the audience gave the performance a special personal and homely air. If jazz was a good mate, it would be Robocobra Quartet.

Robocobra Quartet are not showmen and yet they are captivating. They are top notch Michelin Star quality but with no pretension or airs and graces.

* words and images by tiggerligger