The set was perfectly pitched for the audience
The world renowned Jazz Club Ronnie Scott’s has been the beating heart of Soho for over 60 years. Tourists and Londoners have graced their rooms, enjoying evenings of Jazz in all of its forms, from big band to jazz fusion there has been plenty to delight in, writes Christopher Peacock.
Their famous Late Late shows and others have popped up in other venues around the capital but for the first time in their history they are heading south of the river. Ronnie’s Lates: South is a new series of gigs bringing Jazz to South London, the opening night was hosted at the Peckham Levels with Creature and Madeleine as the acts for this special night.
First on was Madeleine, a young up and coming singer-songwriter and keyboard player from London. Relatively new to the scene, they have previously done session work for many artists including Nubiyan Twist and Olivia Dean. Her art comes well defined after that work and the songs she presented, many unreleased, were great examples of socially conscious nu-soul.
Joined by Hugo Piper on bass and Jack Robson on drums the sound produced was loaded with a heavy groove. The pick of her numbers on the night was Dreamer. Originally a poem, this heartfelt ode to child victims in Gaza had the funk and vibe we were getting tuned in to but with a sorrowful heart.
Creature followed as the headline act. His four-piece band certainly turned up the energy in the room. Their broken beat sound punctuated with a singing trumpet played by Tim Quicke punched in a classical jazz sound to their modern jazz. Heavily influenced by Hip-Hop, the use of sampling highlighted their eclectic sonic palette. A very accomplished drummer, Creature has been on the scene for a while and has been a regular of the Late Late shows in Soho. Their experience showed as the set was perfectly pitched to enchant the Peckham audience.
Of that crowd, there was a broad demographic. Compared to many of the shows you would see at Ronnie Scott’s this certainly skewed younger. That is one of the great features of the Late Late shows at Ronnie Scott’s as it broadens up the world of Jazz to new audiences. Ronnie’s Lates: South, in pitching to a new audience in different surroundings achieved the goal of widening its audience. Hopefully, it will become a regular feature of the entertainment landscape in Peckham for many nights to come.
