Nubiyan Twist & O. - New Century Hall, Manchester (24/4/26)

Nubiyan Twist have been steadily building a following for their mix of soul, jazz, funk and Afrobeat but tonight feels like a huge step up for them in terms of the venue size.

O. open with the funky sax riffs of 'Slice' which builds to an almost techno crescendo reminiscent of Josh Wink. It feels like they play a lot of new tracks tonight as I can't quite identify the tracks (a problem I often have with instrumental music) yet they sound familiar at the same time as they warp their experimental jazz into multiple dance orientated genres in the same way they always have. One track has a breakbeat rhythm whilst another has a hip hop beat and Joe twists his baritone sax into something resembling scratching. Joe's use of pedals turns his sax into a myriad of voices which sound nothing like a saxophone; on the fourth song, it even resembles a lead guitar. Joe's skronking sax morphs into numerous shapes whilst Tash plays various genre rhythms; some garage here and some drum 'n' bass there alongside the hip hop beats and breakbeats, and her drumming is absolutely on point tonight. It doesn't quite seem the same atmosphere as when they play a small venue but they still make a lot of new friends tonight. The closing track is particularly impressive with some spacey breakbeat really rocking the place. A band as inventive as O. will always impress.

It has really filled up by the time Nubiyan Twist take to the stage. They have a cool intro with the percussionist and bandleader Tom Excell pretending to be an AI robot who has taken over but is jealous of live music. Smooth soulful jazz opens the show properly. The second track is jazz funk with a slight disco edge which isn't dissimilar to Jamiroquai and really gets the crowd grooving. The soulful flow of 'Red Herring' sees a guest dancer join them and he throws some seriously impressive, acrobatic shapes. The juddering African rhythms of 'Mlonje: Voices Joined' is too stuttering for my liking and while the bass solo is technically impressive, it doesn't really add much to the track and just comes across as pointless Thundercat-esque noodling. The lead vocals are excellent and add a classic soul edge to a number of tracks. When they're in party mode they're great, with a mixture of horns and African rhythms that get the crowd involved. One track is smooth soul with a funky bassline and dreamy keys. Their call to arms against AI, 'Chasing Shadows' is a smart slice of jazzy Afrobeat and Jonathan Enser's trumpet break midway through is great. 'Breeze' is much dubbier and the the smooth male vocals are lovely. Every member of the band gets their own opportunity to shine, with numerous solo slots throughout the set. 'Carry Me' is a feel good party track with a conscience. 'Pray For Me' is a joyful Afrobeat banger which closes the regular set. The encore begins with a neat serving of lovers rock with a great baritone sax solo. The heavy groove of 'Message' sees the return of the dancer and O., and Joe plays his section on the floor as the crowd parts for him. It is excellent and a fitting way to close out the show.

Nubiyan Twist ****

O. ****