Return Of Zeb

The New Picket, 61 Jordan St
Friday 16th July 2010

Review by Amy Scott-Samuel
Photo by Angie Woolfall

Last Friday (16 July) was the night that THE ZEB reformed - to offer up a healthy dose of the deep rootsy dub and psychedelic trip-hop magic that inspired a generation of Scousers. The Picket was packed out with familiar, local faces.

There was a mad buzz in the air, everyone clearly anticipating the return of the MIGHTY ZEB and their funky music mash up. Before the band began, a guy (Tommy Colderbank?) ran on stage with a large plastic binbag and began swishing it around his head. He shouted out to the curious crowd: 'BLOW! Blow with all your might! Blow all your bad and angry energies deep into the bag!' He swished it around some more, then let out a big gust of air as he 'Pushed all the badness back out into the ether!'

At that point the music flared up and the big beats swept in: fanfare, drums, guitars and synths. A guy ran on stage with a huge red lamp shade balancing precariously on his head. Beneath the rim of the tasseled shade you could see him grinning from ear to ear like a big old Cheshire cat.

The music kicked in and the crowd went from mad to berserk. This was heady, magic, ethereal stuff; the stuff of dreams. You couldn't help but get carried along with the groovy bass lines and bursting trumpet n' sax that was reminiscent of a thousand flowers in bloom.

Everyone stomped and sang along like a gorgeous and well-tuned Scouse cats' choir.

All in all, the RETURN OF THE ZEB proved to be a most beautiful and raucous affair. Bet you're gutted that you missed it.

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