Live: Killamonjambo

Headliner: Killamonjambo
Support: Millie Manders, Secret From Richard
Where: The Banham Barrel, Norwich
When: 5th December 2015
Reviewed By: John Askew
Photography By: John Askew

This being my first time at The Banham Barrel, I didn't quite know what to expect. It has a rapidly growing reputation as a great local music venue. It did, however, take some time to find being at the edge of a sleepy Norfolk village but once inside it did not disappoint. Walking through the main pub leads to a large converted barn hung with black and white drapery and a well lit stage surrounded by a good sized pit with a bar and comfy worn sofas round the edges.

The night kicked off with Secret From Richard, a four piece local rock/indie band. They launched straight into their set with a good energetic vibe, pausing afterwards to introduce themselves. They appeared to be well accomplished musicians thoroughly deserving their rapidly growing following. Lead singer Jason Sturman has a beautiful voice that gave their music a tonal force that some other indie bands seem to be missing. Towards the end of the set they showcased new track Collide, an anthemic track that showed off Jason's vocals, well complimented by the quick snappy instrumentals.

A short break followed with a decently paced changeover giving way to Millie Manders' unique blend of punk and ska. The London-based singer songwriter has a good following wherever she goes and this was evident by the crowd pulling back and forward once she had launched into her first number. You could clearly see her connect with the crowd: it was almost as if she was looking into each and every eye in the room as she belted out emotionally charged tracks based on her personal experiences. With a very well accomplished band behind her she played a number of tracks off her new EP including Teddy, the track she has released her latest video to support. It is a dark, edgy track full of her raw vocals and lead guitarist Musa's catchy riffs. Finishing her set with Little Big Mouth, my personal favourite track of hers, the energy in the crowd soared as she ripped into the fast paced song with Nick her new sax player laying out the accompanying vibes that really set the tone of her whole set. She is getting a bigger and bigger following and it will be interesting to watch where she goes as I can only see her going upwards and onwards.

It was clear why most of the large crowd had come as Killamonjambo took to the stage: the crowd began packing the front two-thirds of the room within seconds. They wasted no time in raising the roof, banging straight into their hip-hop and reggae charged set. Their sound was a wall of cohesive bass riffs and horns with lead singer Jamie's rich voice cutting above the medley. They played some songs from the new album Fiesta Moon Landing, including the appropriately tongue-in-cheek Thunder Thighs, a groovy and melodic track hightlighting the strong three-piece horn section. This cheeky vibe carried on throughout their set with them mixing well known song references into their music and teasing the crowd, building up anticipation for the next big riff or pace change. 

The crowd soon became a big sweaty skanking organism, the pace and energy altering in synchrony with Killamonjambo's. In fact I had to bail after too long for fear of a stray beer or leg catching my camera equipment. With no sign of slowing they played right through their set with the same bouncy energy and enjoyment as their first few tracks, with all of the band clearly loving working together and playing off one another. Having never seen them before I definitely will be going to catch them again and I urge anyone who has not yet heard them to get online and have a listen now.