REVIEW: Wonderful night of jazz, soul, funk from the hugely talented Brother Strut

They’re a band that most people probably have never heard of …. me included.

But each and every one of the five-piece outfit made an indelible mark on those new to Brother Strut and who witnessed a pulsating 100 minute set from them at The Apex, last night.

They waltzed on to the stage to a kaleidoscope of colour and panache and set out to perform a rip roaring, foot-tapping array of jazz/soul/funk sounds to delight those fortunate enough to get a ticket to the gig.

From the outset they set an amazing pace with their unique and masterful musicianship getting their audience rocking in their seats, in the aisles and on the dance floor.

It was an amazing evening littered with funky and soulful tunes that you could not help yourself but to become enveloped in.

Their talent was on show from the first beat of the gig which was part of a countrywide tour to mark Brother Strut’s 10th anniversary.

The band is a collective of musicians who have accumulated over half-a-billion sales in their individual music careers.

From performing with icons like Van Morrison and Stevie Wonder to Sting and Amy Winehouse, they have honed their skills on the world’s biggest stages which was there for all to see.

Founded by Stevie Jones, their keyboard and saxophone player, their music is an eclectic mix of styles which were on full display.

Guitarist Rob Harris contributed a remarkable solo of the Beach Boys classic “God Only Knows” and they also featured some well known covers including the pulsating Kings of Leon hit “Sex Is On Fire” which was sung with gusto by the audience.

But it was their unique self composed numbers which caught the eye with keyboard player and vocalist Sam Tanner fronting some spectacular numbers while bassist Paul Tanner and drummer Frankie Tontoh kept the rhythms pounding.

We sat next to a couple who had come all the way from Nottingham to see the band purely on the strength of Tanner’s talent.

They had seen him perform at a Rod Stewart gig and kept tabs on him to discover he was playing at Bury St Edmunds with Brother Strut. And they weren’t disappointed with their long journey south.

The band were roared back on stage for an encore before leaving to rapturous applause just after 10.30pm.

It was an unforgettable evening which included a 30 minute set from promising Suffolk six piece soul, funk, hip hop and jazz band Stretch Soul Gang who got the crowd in the mood for what was to follow.