Groove Armada

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We Love... Homelands 2003

Saturday 24th May 2003
The Bowl, Matterley Estate, nr. Winchester, Hants., England MAP
£49

Daily capacity: 50,000

Not my first encounter with this band with them having been a regular on the festival circuit for a number of years, but I was interested to see them in front of what could be expected to be an appreciative audience.

Certainly their top billing had been eagerly awaited by the large crowd and by the time the imaginative lighting and visual effects intro had been rolling a couple of minutes the audience were ripe for Groove Armada to take the stage. The over exuberant smoke machines were switched off and the band emerged to rapturous applause to break into their instantly recognisable sound.



This is not your normal dance band, more a collection of musicians in perfect harmony with their own interpretation of jazz, funk, disco & house to produce what was once described as the nu-Balearic sound. Their renowned instrumental and production skills were being demonstrated to their best, and pushed the boundaries of dance music a little further.



An array of mellow & funky tunes swept their way around the arena, before Andy Cato had the audience in an explosion of anticipation when he reached for the trombone to perform the lazy and haunting "At The River" and they were not disappointed.



This is certainly one of the UK's most diverse and entertaining bands and an experience well worth the trip to Winchester alone. My only criticism would be of the timing of their performance, it was just too chilled out to be the final live act of the night when there was still 8 hours of heavy dancing to go.