Live Review: The Hot 8 Brass Band

The Hot 8 Brass Band showed what a badass band they were last night. The New Orleans eight-piece had the crowd getting their groove on from the minute they walked out on stage. They also showed why everyone was talking about their performance at WOMADelaide a few days ago. Led by Alvarez "BIG Al" Huntley, who is a fully qualified call-and-response master, the band banged out a mix of brassy covers and originals. Kicking off in style with What's My Name? (Rock With The Hot 8), which is a nod to Snoop Dogg's Who Am I (What's My Name)? that heavily samples '70s funk like Parliament-Funkadelic, was a perfect way to start the night. This went on for 25 minutes! This reviewer felt for the tuba player as he was playing the hell out of his instrument the whole time, while the other players were able to take breaks.

The band oozed that party vibe they are famous for and sweat streamed from bodies in the crowd. It only intensified when the first toot of Papa Was A Rolling Stone was played. Finally a break, time for a much-needed sip of water. This gave Huntley the chance to plug their hashtag: #webrasshard. This brought many laughs from the crowd, but they really did brass hard all evening.

The Specials also performed at WOMADelaide and no doubt they would've been hanging out in their dressing room exchanging a story or two. As a tribute, The Hot 8 Brass Band played Ghost Town, which they released back in 2012. But it didn't matter what song they played, The Hot 8 Brass Band ruled the dancefloor. It really was a joy to see these eight guys playing so tight and without missing a beat.

Unfortunately, it came to the time for this party to end. Everyone knew what song was last, but this scribe's glad they keep the best for last. The Hot 8 Brass Band first released their cover of Sexual Healing back in 2007, as their debut single, and have probably played it at every show since. Classic tracks often cannot be touched, but what The Hot 8 Brass Band do to this song is just mind-blowing. They took it to another level and tonight no one went away disappointed.