Nanaimo based jazz/ dance band Boomshack played to an appreciative crowd at the Slice, Saturday, June 16.
I was expect
ing Five Alarm Funk style craziness, but was denied, as the talented group switched instruments in a decidedly laid back, set of appealing jazz tinged, horn driven R and B and soul music along the lines of Earth, Wind and Fire and Blood,Sweat and Tears which wouldn’t have been out of place in the mid ’70s.
Singer/ saxophonist Theo Hughes-Ridgway crooned like Harry Connick Jr, and even rapped a little, tapping into his inner pop star while Dave Bamford supplied several different horns, though the other members added extra horns as needed.
They played a tight, though informal set which eventually had people dancing.
They had more of a pop and hip hop sound than the crazed funk of Five Alarm Funk. But they had plenty of sultry bass grooves and lots of horns. “It’s a Spell” and “The Moose” were highlights near the end of the set.
