Moses Boyd Exodus

Corsica Studios, London SE17

4/5

ON A street corner in Texas earlier this month, a queue snaked around the block of a nondescript venue.

The crowd attending SXSW in Austin, one of the music industry’s most prominent festivals for new talent, was there for a showcase of British jazz acts, among them drummer Moses Boyd and his band Exodus.

Arriving back in his native London, Boyd headlines this show at Corsica Studios and again the queues gather for this homecoming of sorts.

Having already established his name as one of the most in-demand young talents on the scene after winning a MOBO in 2015 and touring with artists such as Soweto Kinch and Sampha, Boyd takes confidently to the stage.

From their opening number of afrobeat-influenced improvisation, it's clear that Moses Boyd Exodus are consummate musicians.

Boyd seamlessly switches between electronic drum pad and acoustic kit, giving his jazz arrangements a hybrid quality, while tenor saxophonist Binker Golding plays a string of blistering solos that traverse the guttural low-end of John Coltrane’s free jazz to the ethereal breathiness of Stan Getz. Underpinning it all is guitarist Artie Zaits’s subtle harmonic choices.

Highlights include a rendition of Boyd’s 2016 dance floor-focused release Rye Lane Shuffle as well as the surprise encore of Cameo’s Candy, which gets the audience moving to its infectious rhythm.

It's only the venue’s failure to adequately amplify Theon Cross’s tuba that disappoints, with distortion often replacing the bass notes.

Undaunted, Cross’s bandmates ensure that the show goes on.

Running at just over an hour, the set is a condensed display of Boyd’s talent, leaving the audience anticipating his forthcoming debut album and, hopefully, another live performance with an improved sound system. 

Moses Boyd plays at the Baltic Weekender in Liverpool, June 2-4 and the Green Man festival, Brecon, August 17-20.