This article originally appeared in Under City Lights on 23 October 2016.
image by Andreas Lawen, licensed through CC BY-SA via Wikimedia Commons
Who are those guys?
Lucky Chops.
Yeah, I read the title of the article.
Good job. They are Josh Holcomb, Daro Behroozi, Leo P, Joshua Gawel, Kevin Congleton and Raphael Buyo. They perform high energy and intensely funky brass band tunes, often including covers of pop hits like Problem by Ariana Grande in a humorous but deeply musical way.
Is that guy wearing a tuba?
Close, but that’s a sousaphone. It’s a marching band instrument that provides the low end. It sounds pretty phat, believe me.
Where did they start?
Lucky Chops started out playing music in the streets before creating a live show for the New York subway. They went what the kids (and immunologists) are calling ‘viral’ when a tourist uploaded a video of them playing. This was followed by a tour across Europe and a series of successful YouTube videos of their own.
That sounds like something you’re about to link me to.
Sure, let’s get on to the music. I’d start with their track Buyo, an original named after their sousaphonist (also known as Yung Raffy), which kicks off with the aforementioned phat before blasting into life with vibrant horn harmonies. It also features Leo P, his baritone and his pink hair, whose solo and accompanying actions make the video an iconic sample of their vibe.
Damn, that pelvic action.
I know, right? The playing’s pretty solid too. Next up, check out their first full length album, NYC. It combines infectious grooves with recognisable melodies, the various brassy/woody instruments involved being singing, growling and wailing on a mixture of covers and originals.
The covers span a sizeable chunk of pop and jazz history—check out their ska-inspired version of Glenn Miller’s Moonlight Serenade and their mashup of Funkytown and I Feel Good, with a side-helping of the sax riff from Mr Saxobeat. Another favourite of mine is Behroozi, written by trombonist Josh Holcomb, that one YouTube commenter describes as getting them 'hot and bothered’.
Just a shame they perform in the New York subway and not the London Underground, right?
Actually, you’re in luck. They’re coming to Europe in November, with a London date at Electric Ballroom on the 21st.
Tickets are available at http://www.livenation.co.uk/show/844721/lucky-chops/london/2016-11-21/
Jazz?
Jazz.
