Rambling into noise.

A night and two days have passed since Glasgow-based corto.alto conquered the stage at Hoochie Coochie, in the centre of our city, Newcastle. For my musician friends and I, this gig had been firmly set in our calendars since it was announced, months ago. Our disbelief that such an esteemed collective would be gracing the stage at the recently purchased venue left no room for hesitation; we had to go and see it for ourselves.

            The new owners of Hoochie (lead by Michael Lavery) knocked it out of the park with this booking and have reassured us all that the original vision of the venue, to celebrate MOBO (music of black origin) in Newcastle and the North (set out by the previous owner, Warren Thomson), is continuing. If this booking is anything to go off, the future of Hoochie is looking more exciting than ever. The precedent has been set – no pressure.

            Looking like one big computer, with its plethora of cables, electronic instruments and curious pieces of tech, the empty stage foretold a story (to those unfamiliar with this musical project), akin to the backing-track-reliant “edgy” indie bands that so many of us have heard gigging around the circuit. While there’s nothing wrong with this (that kind of music definitely has its place), I am glad that corto.alto had a different story in mind. Liam and his band jumped onto the stage with an energy that would have filled the room even if it weren’t already packed out. Balancing rehearsed playing with interactive musicianship, they put on a show that felt uniquely informal while maintaining a professional standard that you’d expect from a Mercury Nominated jazz project.

            Having heard about corto.alto from listening to pianist Fergus McCreadie’s solo works, I will admit that the rest of the band, (the leader and multi-instrumentalist, Liam Shortall, drummer, Graham Costello, saxophonist, Mateusz Sobieski, and guitarist, James McKay) were names I was less familiar with. This was clearly a mistake on my part. On every tune, the band brought something unexpected; on every measure they provided something mesmerising. From buttery trombone tones (one of the cleanest and warmest sounds I’ve heard from the instrument) to racing runs on the bass, the bandleader Shortall has it all. Costello’s drumming was not only athletic but musical and modest when the music called for it (an attribute I always admire in a drummer). Sobieski’s sax lines were rhythmic, punchy and melodically outstanding, and his tone and use of effects was something I’ve taken personal note of (and I’m not even a sax player). I am, however, a guitarist and I’ve got a small book written on McKay’s playing from Wednesday night. Jackson guitars are often used for shredding solos, but McKay’s playing was inventive and melodic – not that shredding can’t be either of those things, and not that McKay can’t shred; I am sure he can. McCreadie also lived up to expectations and struck the balance between restrictive playing and letting loose both in his comping and soloing.        

Crazy musicians and a lucky audience: that was Wednesday night this week, which pretty much describes the music of corto.alto. If you are ever able to see them play live, you would have to be a fool not to go.