It’s been a couple of years since I last spent the weekend at Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul in Moseley Park. Prior to that I’d been involved in its early days, hosting the Yardbird second stage for the first three years of the festival and also attended for the most part, every year, always appreciating the line up and local vibe.
My visit this year was pretty special to be honest. There seems to have been a reshuffle, with a new streamlined entry system and different toilet location, providing an easier and more efficient flow for ticket holders and also allowing space for a new area that contained various market stalls, the Dead Pixels gaming caravan and an additional DJ area, with fresh surrounding walls for local artists to create.
A few new food vendors have been added to the usual mix, two in particular that made for some seriously snacking, such as Deathrow Sandwiches, a Plough Harborne/Hare & Hounds venture and Fat Snags, offering up Lashford’s sausage hot dogs with all the right toppings. The drink offering covered all bases too, with quality Purity draft, as well as another unit offering local brewery cans, a bespoke cocktail caravan, a Wine and Fizz set up as well as a cocktail jug stand. All in all, all the food and drink, at reasonable prices, you need to soak up when exploring the site and going on musical adventures.
Friday with Leftfoot, Mr Scruff, James Lavelle & Leftfield
We entered the gates on Friday and headed straight up to the Off Piste area, a 200 capacity tent that for the most part was curated by Leftfoot over the weekend. All eyes and feet were on Mr Scruff, Manchester based DJ and producer, though a longstanding staple of Birmingham dance culture.
Mr Scruff typically plays 6 – 7 hour sets, starting slow and building up through the evening, but on this occasion, Scruff was straight into the up-tempo, spinning cosmic disco, jazzy breaks, tough soul and funky hip hop, using all the filters and seamless mixing to build the atmosphere and as far as I could see and feel, everyone was in a very funky trance, locked into his grooves. A true legend and definitely the right way to get the party started before the larger live acts hit the stages.
Everywhere you would look, everyone was locked into their infectious sound. Uplifting, raw yet polished musical expertise boomed out..
After Scruff, we moved down to the main area and caught the end of Ella Moore’s set. Ella’s vocals were sublime, sat on top of really tight musicians popping out infectious neo-soul grooves. An artist I’ll follow up as we only caught the last two tunes of her set, but definitely one to watch.
At this stage, the site was nicely building up and there was a really positive, friendly vibe about the place, you could definitely feel the pre Kurupt FM tension, an act that I don’t think anyone wanted to miss. And they nailed it. Pure hilarious garage vibes, the crowd bopping around with umbrellas and arms in the air, bouncing to every beat and relaying the banter rolling off MC Grindah. It was just a short burst of rain that didn’t interrupt anyone’s enthusiasm, the sun peering back out of the clouds for Greentea Peng, due up next on the main stage.
Greentea Peng’s set was very laid back and charismatic, serious headnodding soul, an artist that I hadn’t come across before but came highly recommended by the company I kept. Her set was faultless, all live but almost like you were listening to an audio track through your headphones, and hats off to the P.A., throughout the festival, the sound quality was crisp, clear and awesome with heavyweight punch.
It was a real reminiscent pleasure to hear Jame Lavelle’s set. He literally played the back catalogue of the original 90’s Mo Wax releases, building up, then slowing down, back and forth, but always with a nod to the dancefloor. Standing a little way up from the stage on the hill, the sun was on its way out and James’ selections filled the air adding a class and quality soundtrack to the atmosphere and buzz on the site. James’ set led straight into the highly anticipated headline Leftfield set, with barely a gap before the soaring sounds of Leftfield starting to rumble and build, everyone just waiting for the beats to kick in.
Leftfield’s set was perfect, an organised frenzy of hard hitting rhythms and beats, dancing room only. Everywhere you would look, everyone was locked into their infectious sound. Uplifting, raw yet polished musical expertise boomed out of the main stage only enhanced by the lighting and evening darkness creeping in. Loved this and just couldn’t stop moving, I remember Leftism being released when I was around 14, and to see them live, performing the same tracks was an exhilarating experience. All in all, a brilliant afternoon of rhythms and vibes that crept into the evening, one amazing act after another.
Sunday with James Hunter, Nubiyan Twist & Kool & The Gang
I couldn’t make the Saturday schedule due to other commitments, yet feedback was all positive and it sounds like I missed some special sets. It was kinda nice to have a day off in-between to regather before heading back down on Sunday, though part of me really wanted to be straight back there when the doors opened again.
All set for Sunday and arriving around 2pm, the environment and people seemed a bit more chilled than Friday’s party.. I think it always is. Still, what are Sundays for, and with a stella last day line-up, the feeling was of contentment of what was to come via the best in live jazz, funk, soul and beats culture in a local park with a community of people that get it.
Of all my Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul experiences, I’d say 2024 tops it as one of the best bills, with additional brilliant vibes from the Leftfoot sessions at Off Piste and the other activities around site.
Kicking off our musical journey for the day was a live set from James Hunter, a very heavy horn and Hammond laden authentic soul sound with James’ vocals at the foundation of their sound. With two album releases on the legendary Brooklyn based Daptone Records, these guys set the day off with a punch. Not unsimilar but with a more soul-jazz groove, The Filthy Six followed not long after with their super tight and sophisticatedly raw London grooves and jazz rhythms, I’ve wanted to see these guys for a long time and they didn’t disappoint. A definite undercurrent of jazz but with very funky solos and hooks from a who’s who of London musical talent.
At this point, the park is filling up, a few people look a bit worse for wear but still in the right spirit, smiles are everywhere and people are bumping into old friends from old dancefloors of the past. Lots of happy conversation, positive vibes and mutterings of football final anxiety. Are they contemplating ‘do we watch the football or Kool & The Gang’, or are they deciding if hosting a football match at a quality music festival is a clever idea. I’ll take Kool over Euro any day, to hear there massive catalogue of original funk and soul cuts in a small park in Moseley is surely a rare experience and big pat on the back to Mostly organisers for pulling off hosting these legends.
We took a detour from the main activity and went to the 3pm Kid’s Hip Hop Block Party, in the open area near to the entrance. A basic children’s dance fest with optional rolling around in hay bales, crown making and crafts and classic old school hip hop anthems from the resident DJs. Enough to tire out the little ones so they can nap while you take in the full force of the main headliner later in the day. Enough hay (fever), back to the main stage to experience Leeds finest…
You can’t mess with Nubiyan Twist, watching them drop their multi-genre jazzy afrobeat big band sound with stabs of hiphop and reggae to a sunny afternoon crowd was a real treat. These guys are so slick and infectious. If you haven’t had the pleasure, seek them out now, or even better find them playing in the fresh air with a grass dancefloor.
Of all my Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul experiences, I’d say 2024 tops it as one of the best bills, with additional brilliant vibes from the Leftfoot sessions at Off Piste and the other activities around site. For a small park in a suburb of Birmingham, Mostly still pulls off the same festival vibes you’d experience at much larger events, but perhaps an even better experience due to the convenience of home being near, a very competitive ticket price and that general friendly Brummie attitude, not to mention the quality and diversity of the acts from the cream of the national and international (mostly) jazz, funk and soul scene.
Others to mention that got our feet shuffling were Scottish jazz/broken outfit Corto Alto, championed by Gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum and BBC 6 Music and also top class authentic London soul band Wonder 45.
This takes us to Sunday night headliners, Kool & The Gang! Busting out the finest grooves since 1969. Known for so many iconic songs with massive commercial success, but also producers of some of the biggest and rawest funk nuggets played in basement funk and jazz clubs around the world and almost as sampled as James Brown. They have a heritage like no other band as this was plain to see as their four piece horn section took to the front of the stage for their first number. Hit after hit followed, including medley mashups and instrumental breakdowns. If it wasn’t for the band being Kool, the stage would be on fire. I don’t think it is or was possible to not feel their music through your mind into your dancing legs. They funked, jazzed and souled for 90 minutes, barely taking a breath or gap to reset, bringing an amazing weekend to a close.
And once again, at the close of another Mostly weekend, a certain sadness sweeps over you realising that it’ll be another whole year before this cosy jazz and funk party in a park releases its energy and wickedness again.
Words and photos by Ollie Lloyd from The Yardbird Creative