GoGo Penguin

About this event

Chris Illingworth, piano; Nick Blacka, double bass; Rob Turner, drums

Packing the dance floors with an infectious combination of frenetic break-beats, irresistible piano melodies and subtle electronica, GoGo Penguin first came to prominence in 2014 after their album, v2.0, was named a Mercury Prize Album of the Year in 2014. One of the rising stars of the UK Jazz scene, this Mancunian piano trio is equally at home playing to clubbers and dyed-in-the-wool jazz fans, drawing on a range of influences from Aphex Twin and dubstep to The Bad Plus, Brian Eno, John Cage, Massive Attack and Debussy. Conventional jazz soloing plays little part in GoGo Penguin’s world – their highly personalised, genre-free sound comes from the interplay between the three musicians: Illingworth’s flowing bebop-inspired piano riding over Nick Blacka’s pulsing bass lines and Rob Turner’s skittering drum grooves. With a three album deal with Blue Note Records under their belt, and a recent nomination for best UK act in the Jazz FM Awards, this is a band you’d be mad to miss.

“…techno, hip-hop and dubstep are glimpsed here, but for all the looping motifs and dance floor vibes, this is the work of three sure-footed improvisers with deep jazz roots…” - The Guardian

 “A stirring re-evaluation of what a piano trio should sound like in the 21st century.” - Barclaycard Mercury Prize 2014