Having played a phenomenal afternoon show at last year’s Brighton Festival, the organisers were quick to book them again but at a much bigger venue. Having only had two album releases, both Mercury Prize Nominated, GoGo Penguin have become one of the critics, musicians and music fans highest rated bands in just three years of being active – and to top it off, they have just been signed by the legendary Blue Note record label. Hailing from Manchester, the trio’s self-described “acoustic electronica” mergers their eclectic love of music (sprawling experimental electronic, traditional jazz, heavy metal, modern classical) to form one of the best, if not the best, modern jazz sounds.

There was a queue of people waiting outside the box office as I collected my tickets, hoping to buy a resale ticket for the show that had been sold out weeks before. The expectant crowd greeted the trio with exuberant applause as Chris Illingworth (pianist), Nick Blacka (bassist) and Rob Turner (drummer) took their position behind their instruments. They start with Rob making eerie sounds with a bow on his cymbals, before erupting into their glorious sound – with ‘Murmuration’ and ‘One Percent’ (off 2014 album, V2.0) captivating the audience in an instant. Their effortless style was impressive – Chris seemed to glide over the keys of the grand piano, Nick was frolicking with his double bass as he plucked its strings, and Rob had his eyes closed for most of the performance as he held the impeccably tight beat on his triple snare drum kit. In a trio you are under an intense spotlight, both as a group, and as individual musicians. You have to be at the top of your game, and boy, these guys were… and some more. We were treated to songs off both their albums as well as the odd new and unreleased track, which were all just as engaging and formidable. The ethereal ‘Last Word’ (from 2012 album, Fanfairs) took the show to the interval, making an elated audience yearn for more.

 

This was a concert that gave untold joy to me, and the rest of the audience, as it felt like you were witnessing a special act producing an incredible performance. After the short break, they began with ‘Kamaolka’ that continued their fine emotionally driven music. There was never much talk from the trio, only the occasional song introduction, but their music did their talking for them. Sombre songs like ‘The Letter’ and ‘To Drown In You’ seemed to bring feelings of sadness and, at the same time, joy for the perfect way they portray those emotions. Brian Eno once said, “You don’t need complexity to make complexity” – I imagine this is something GoGo Penguin live by. The delicate way the trio perform is precise and uncomplicated, never using two notes when one is enough, yet still producing this big intriguing sound that portrays lots of ideas. They brought the evening to a close with [fan] favourites ‘Ground Dog Barbeque’, which has an almost playful drum n’ bass beat, and the heavenly ‘Hopopono’ – generating monumental applause from an overjoyed, and by now standing, audience. A truly exceptional performance from an outstanding band that are still relatively in their infancy. It is exciting to imagine how great they can develop over the coming years having set their standard so high, so quickly.

 

Iain Lauder