Saturday 17/01/09 Acoustic Ladyland @ Twisted Licks, The Borderline, London

Acoustic Ladyland were made for The Borderline. What better venue than a dark back alley haunt to witness dark avant-jazz? Choosing to perform vocal-less at the latest instalment of the Twisted Licks club night, frontman and saxophonist Pete Wareham oozes French class with his leather hat and black ensemble – despite being a Londoner – and weaves explanations of how tracks were born among the musical mash up.

New tracks 'Have Another Go' (an aggressive assault), 'Worry' (a bluesy anthem about a failed band try-out) and 'Year Nine' (out and out acid-jazz) promise great things for their third LP 'Living With A Tiger’ – about a wood burner of all things – later in the year.  Special note has to go, of course, to Seb Rochford (of Polar Bear and one-time Babyshambles fame) for not only the wildest hair this side of Argentina, but for unrivalled drumming skills. His relaxed demeanour and half smile was mesmerising to watch. In fact, despite some complicated time changes he failed to break into a sweat all evening.

Adding a new member on an electric guitar to the mix – they are named in homage to Hendrix after all – simply boosts the hook-driven, thrash-jazz Acoustic Ladyland racket on stage. Each member appears to be playing to their own rhythm, only held together by Ruth Goller’s impeccable bass. Of course this is not the case. Each note carefully constructed to simply sound like un-choreographed toe-thumping noise. I think. But in reality, who cares when the musical onslaught is this free flowing and raucous? Jazz punk at its very best.

Acoustic Ladyland @ Twisted Licks: