Phaze Theory has already garnered interest from BBC Radio 3. The core trio (of Christopher Barratt, tuba, Tal Janes (electric guitar), Marco Quarantotto (drums)) was enhanced by Arthur Lea on vocals. It’s a group which, through looking at the more mystical writings of Yeats, Blake and Aldous Huxley, has a musical approach that feels like a live version of some of the late 60s prog jazz groups. Arthur is perhaps better known to us as a pianist, but here he really took the music and gave it just the right vocal power and nuance. All the more exciting because he had only picked up the parts with the band in the afternoon.
Having a tuba rather than bass gave it an extra bottom end resonance which is beginning to gain popularity through Theon Cross’s work with Sons of Kemet, though the underpinning here is of course very different- spacier!
The second set particularly had a very strong energy, and carried one through really well. Certainly it was great to have such a band at the club. The distance of this from much of the other material that we are hearing is really not very far. Dan Nicholls’ album, which played at the end of the night, slotted in well.
So all power to this group, and let’s hope that they are heard more widely soon.