Photo: Chris Chadwick
The name Bonobo these days is pretty ubiquitous in music circles. But twas not always so. A Ninja Tune stalwart, Bonobo aka Simon Green has been going an awfully long time, perhaps longer than many of his younger or more recent fans may appreciate. But today, on album six, he's in the finest fettle as he's ever been.
It's fair to say Bonobo coined a 'sound'. His canny mixtures of jazz, world, hip hop and latterly house have resulted in a production aesthetic which many bedroom producers try to copy, but few can muster with such class and intrigue. Having evolved from his trip hop-esque debut Animal Magic to today's much more house and jazz influenced sounds, it seems Bonobo has done what few artists manage to do: evolve, but in doing so both retain the early fans and gain new ones along the way.
Bonobo's show at Brixton Academy this weekend was testament to that - it was like a church congregation of all sorts of fans - from the boiler room heads to the aging hip hoppers via the bearded nu jazz hipsters - all rejoicing at the alter of St Bonobo.
His craft on wax is sumptuously and faithfully recreated in the live context, his formidable band shifting from song to song often via transitions akin to a well mixed DJ set. Their musicianship is so impressive, but void of any of the over self indulgence which can marr some live shows in this context. Just pure class.
Visuals have always been a key element for Bonobo, and this live show lets the pristine artwork of latest album Migration animate behind the band, as mesmerising, brilliantly-programmed lights sithe through the darkness.
Artists like Bonobo don't exactly have "hits" in the traditional sense, but if the crowd's reactions are a yardstick to go by, the responses to Black Sands tracks We Could Forever, Kiara and Kong all set the crowd dancing in sublime fashion. Naturally the jazz flautist got a huge cheer, too!
If there was a downer on the night it would be the din of chatter amongst the crowd during the more tender moments. Bonobo's music is not stadium rock - there are subtleties and textures to be discovered in the quiet tracks if you commit the concentration. Sadly it felt some preferred to talk about the fact they were at a Bonobo concert rather than enjoy the Bonobo concert.
Humble Simon spoke little throughout the show but gave thanks on the mic at the end and gave due credit to his formidable backing band. A faultless performance by an act who is as fun and fascinating live as on record.
