The Waldo’s Gift story is well-known in their Bristol hometown: an instrumental guitar trio pulled together the night before for a weekly residence in 2017, their fully improvised sessions in The Gally music bar quickly became a word of mouth must-see. Anyone who squeezed into those lively formative nights (declaration of interest: your reviewer was one) will smile with recognition from the opening moments of long-awaited debut album Malcolm’s Law and throughout its nine tracks. For those who missed that experience 'Classic Waldi Anthem' here gives a taste of the exhilaration underpinning their mash-up of fusion jazz-rock, dance grooves and, occasionally, heavy metal.

The obvious ear-catcher is Alun Elliot-Williams' dazzlingly ornate top-speed guitar, enhanced by adroit use of on-the-fly effects and loops to create synthetic tapestries behind his intricate lacework soloing. Grounding that, Harry Stoneham’s lyrical bass often defines the music – as on 'Cosy Hour' which begins as dub reggae but devolves to metal rock - while James Vine’s eclectic drumming integrates the two with shrewd economy. Their democratic complementarity as composers allows Stoneham’s bass to lead melodically through the stately 'Jellyfish' or Vine’s staccato drumming to foreground the title track – there’s hooks aplenty, wherever you listen for them. Seen live there’s a parallel with Wayne Krantz’ 1990s NY downtown residency, not least in those growling basslines, but Malcolm’s Law show’s Waldo’s Gift can refine their music without losing any of the character that makes them so impactful.