Moon Hooch intoxicate with heady Rich Mix cocktail

Probably what the term ‘power trio’ was made for. Never have I seen an audience so ready to go mental to the sound of two saxophones and a drum kit. Well, more like two tenor saxes (one sometimes with a giant traffic cone extension), a baritone sax, a contrabass clarinet, a moog synthesiser, vocals, a drum kit and a pair of tablas, played at various points by Wenzl McGowen, Mike Wilbur and James Muschler. It’s hard to believe that this is a Monday night, the entire audience raving after the first track. It’s as if we’ve already been going for hours into the night. Hardcore clubbers were there, almost knocking you out as they head-banged furiously within an inch of your face. Musos, too, were in attendance, grooving and chattering about the technical brilliance of the players and the sheer energy they put out into the room. With almost no breaks in the music, the tension remained high, most tracks segueing into the next. The set continued to build in intensity, just like one of Moon Hooch's compositions in macrocosm, with highlights including ‘Bari 3’ and ‘Number 9’, as well as tracks from their upcoming release, Red Sky.

Predominantly influenced by electronica, Moon Hooch’s music is more about riffs, basslines and strong contrasts than it is about solos. The open-minded attitude of jazz at its best bubbles under the surface, but don't go expecting to hear bebop harmonies. No, go and see Moon Hooch if you want to feel like you’re at the most high-octane party in the world, where the band is not only ‘live’, but really pushing all night. Don’t get the wrong idea – this music is sophisticated, but without pretension, and deftly executed by three guys who clearly love it every bit as much as the audience.

– Marlowe Heywood-Thornes