On Wednesday night, Fitrzoy’s The Night Cat hosted Bristol collective Ishmael Ensemble, supported by Horatio Luna.
If you’ve never attended The Night Cat, it’s a cool, low lit jazz venue just off Brunswick Street. It’s a long standing institution with a heavily laid back vibe and a capacity of roughly 500 people. While the venue is mostly standing there’s a good amount of tables scattered around the edges which you might be lucky enough to grab if you arrive early.
Horatio Luna opened with a traditional upbeat jazz soundtrack to kick off the night. Heavy on the bass and even heavier on the sax. It had those make you get up and dance vibes.
The main act, Ishmael Ensemble, were a pleasant surprise with an unexpected but exciting sound. While they’re known for their experimental jazz, their repertoire actually ranged everywhere from jazz, to electronica to pop throughout their set. Starting the set with some of their more long standing tracks conjured a beautifully cinematic atmosphere. The slow, laid back and moody intro brought to mind the rain soaked feel of a Vangelis soundtrack, and the smoky stage and rich saturated colours of the lighting instantly transported the audience into their world.
Lead singer Holly has a strong, powerful voice, and she shone when she became captivated by and lost in the song. The band worked together well, each occupying their own space both physically on the stage and within the songs to allow the entire ensemble to take their moments to shine. Watching them criss-cross genres during the evening made for an enjoyable and unpredictable show and it’s a testament to their musicianship and relationship as a band that they were able to gel the changes of tempo and style so seamlessly.
As the set progressed they moved onto tracks from their latest album ‘Rituals’ which are more dance and electro inspired. While it was quite a change of pace, the band pulled it off well and you were left with that heavy bass pumping in your chest. The crowd went with it, swaying and dancing to the high octane sounds of new album tracks such as ‘Dust’ and ‘Ezekiel’. There was a lot of love in the room for this exciting, musically varied night, and it was enjoyable sharing the journey of how the band have reimagined themselves over their career.
Find out more about Ishmael Ensemble here.
Listen to Ishmael Ensemble’s new album here.