Acoustic Ladyland
Total fans: 1,170
Acoustic Ladyland have been rattling minds and messing with convention since 2001 with their singular style of jazz, notably uninhibited by jazz tradition. With a fierce post-punk attitude and respect for Jimi Hendrix (hence the name), this unique London outfit simply create potent, soul-searching music: intense, life-affirming pop.
With Skinny Grin, their brilliant third album, this quartet of mischief makers and incandescent musicians raise the bar again, hopscotching feeble attempts at genre categorisation. This new album explores the sonic boundaries and human frailties that bind us all. As a whole, it’s tied together with a nervous and edgy production ethic that is second to none. In band co-founder Pete Wareham’s own words he wanted to find a place that was as “musically substantial as Coltrane, but was as much fun as ‘Waiting For The Man’” by The Velvet Underground.
The band is Pete Wareham (saxophone/vocals) with Seb Rochford, of Mercury-nominated Polar Bear (drums), Tom Herbert (bass) and Tom Cawley (keys). Skinny Grin features legendary No Wave saxophonist James Chance, mixing from Scott Walker and production by Paul Epworth and Robert Harder, who worked on their highly praised previous effort, Last Chance Disco in 2005.