On a muggy bank holiday night, in the former church that is the Trinity Centre, Dutty Monshine Big Band ended their 16 date tour on one hell of a high.

Half way through an extra long bank holiday weekend, the memory of the ‘plague’ disappearing in the rear view mirror, anticipation was high for the many time re-arranged show nestling along side a 4 day break for many, fuelling the party atmosphere.

First up was Funke and the Two Tone Baby, who couldn’t be further from the 12+ strong Dutty outfit, with just him and a guitar (and a loop set up and some serious beats!). But lockdown has seen him really build his sound and when that is coupled with his full-on energy it is an impressive sight. By his own admission, watching Dutty night in, night out has pushed him to go further, work harder and take his own performance to another level. And Bristol got the full force of full on Funke ! The crowds turned up early, danced and sang along as Funke raised the heat and got the juices flowing. “Not Enough Bonobo” brought the set to a close with the crowd shouting back “...too much chimpanzee!!!” at the top of their voices, what a fantastic level to set the night off.   Its only been about 3 months since the last time I saw him at The Louisiana in Bristol but this was many steps up, what a performance. Catch him at some festivals across the summer.

And then it was time for Dutty Moonshine Big Band. And it went off from the outset. Their sound is massive and so tight. The brass section sound as one and the beats, acoustic and electric, thumped through the building. The crowd went wild from the first few beats of ‘Big Band Fam’ and became a sweaty mass of bodies, bouncing up and down from start to finish.

The set covered songs old and new, but the bass and the brass was constant throughout. Energy from the stage was high and this fuelled the crowd. The usual 12 piece (I only counted 11 but they kept moving so it was hard to count!) mix of heavy bass and dub, with fantastic vocals heavily influenced by jazz, drill, electronica, jungle and more is a sight to behold. The 2020 release ‘City of Sin’, the basis of the tour, formed the heart of the set. Big Band Fam, Outlaws, City of Sin and It’s Alright kicked off the set before Distillin’ and Smoky Blues, with Gangsters thrown in from their 2017 ‘Most Wanted’ debut album kept the place moving.

Vocalist, rapper, MC and all round dynamo Maria is something to behold. From slick vocals to rapid fire rapping she switches between them effortlessly while bouncing around the stage in constant motion. She had the crowd in the palm of her hand and the sweaty mass of bodies, sang and danced as she conducted the show.

The 90 minute set of full throttle beats and bass, and jazz and dub, and rap and just about everything else flew by in the blink of an eye. I have never experienced such energy and such a slick performance in a relatively small venue. And the sound. With that brass section providing such a strong backdrop, fuelled by the throbbing beat, it is massive. I actually think live it grew a little from the recorded versions, feeling more fierce while still being perfectly balanced. Dutty Moonshine Big Band have a great future and I’m sure the next tour will see some far bigger venues enjoying the massive sights and sounds of these guys. A truly incredible performance. Not to be missed if they are coming to a town near you.

Words and Pictures by GM Gig Photos