Led Bib

Led Bib Cafe

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Sensible Shoes Press:

“And if the Mercury Prize judging panel gives them the token jazz-act nomination- which is the least reward their third album Sensible Shoes deserves – bigger stages will certainly beckon.” The Sunday Telegraph *****

“You’ll be hard pressed to keep the lid on this explosive tour de force of ensemble intelligence” The Independent ****

“’Sensible Shoes’ is a chink of light in ever darkening skies” Artrocker

"Rarely have two saxes, keyboard, bass and drums sounded so dangerous yet so compelling" Observer Music Monthly ****

“This is the sound of a band having fun… like a hot chainsaw through butter. The Wire

“It’s exuberant, intense, varied and exciting.” BBC Music Magazine ****

"...one cool mutha of a death-jazz-cum-math-punk-freakout, as if Mike Patton had his wicked way with John Zorn" Time Out

"Quite possibly they're the missing link between jazz, prog and experimental rock, which puts them in a field of one" The Scotsman (live review) ****

“The future of jazz” The Times

“…a masterpiece of musical foreboding” The Metro

“One of the UK’s most adventurous groups” Jazzwise ****

"...like a gale of fresh air" The Guardian

"Sensible Shoes sounds very much like a jazz classic" Metro

"There is a passion and a sense of vulnerability that proves Led Bib is not all bluster. These guys have soul." The Herald (live review) ****

"Veering from wild, Downtown-style free improvisation to rock-worthy riffola, with the odd subtle, sensitive moment thrown in too, it’s a hands-down triumph" The Independent, ‘Ones to Watch’ feature

"Almost certainly this year's token jazz Mercury Prize nominee" City Life ****

" highly energised studio album that reflects their reputation for adventurous experiment" The Scotsman ****

"Like a wake up call from an air-raid siren" Irish Tribune

"…altogether excellent album" All About Jazz

"It all adds up to an invigorating listen and quite a prospect as a live experience" The Herald (album of the week)

"This is a blast, in all senses of the word" Chris Parker

Old Press:

"Sun Ra didn't die in vain" The Times

“an electrified 21st century Fire Music.” Jazzwise

"Splattering you against the wall with their broadsides of punk-jazz" John Fordham The Guardian

“…If you don't go near jazz because it just isn't damned noisy enough, and seems to have petered out after the pre-punk free jazz ideological furies of the Sixties and Seventies, then come back to life to try the deliciously uncivil new Led Bib album, Sizewell Tea. Led Bib sound like they could have coped supporting '61 Sun Ra, '66 Beefheart, and even '69 Led Zep. Led Bib are jazz, though, through and through, crammed with horn and blast, and as much swing as sweat” Paul Morley feature Observer Music Monthly

"Like crossing the road in a reverie and being run over by a passing bus - but in a pleasing way" Evening Standard

"They represent a new generation of jazz musicians, blessed with the technical know-how of a music college degree and the sexiness of rock n' roll." Blues and Soul

“Proof that groovy dirty jazz isn’t just the preserve of downtown New Yorkers” BBC Radio 3

“A sonic adventure to savour.” The Metro

"…deliciously mutilated " Uncut

"We need bands like Led Bib to make the world safe for dangerous music." Observer Music Monthly

“A whole range of new colours and harmonies have been woven into the originals, and their headlong rush is inflected with unexpected turnings and digressions - though interestingly this multiplies the energy, rather than lessening it." The Telegraph

“…a dynamite live show." Time Out

One of ‘25 Live Acts you MUST see this Summer’ (above Bjork, The White Stripes and The Arctic Monkeys) - Observer Music Monthly

”Gritty, raunchy jazz from a group who deserve to be checked out.” The Wire

“Currently the most credible thing going in UK jazz.” Time Out, August 2007

"...with a raucous mix of punk and jazz, played with an in-your-face irreverence and wit; this was high-energy scorched earth, with fierce blowing from saxophonists Chris Williams and Pete Grogan in an ensemble characterised by leader Mark Holub's combustible drumming." Irish Times

"Anyone intrigued by the sonic possibilities explored by Ladyland and Polar Bear or the leading lights of the New York Downtown scene should check it out.” The Scotsman

Bio:

One of the original torch bearers for the revitalized young British jazz scene Led Bib released their third studio album ‘Sensible Shoes’, on Cuneiform Records in May 2009. The album was described as a modern classic by the press: “a hands-down triumph” said The Independent, “…a gale of fresh air” wrote The Guardian and the group were described as “The future of jazz” by The Times.

Relentlessly dodging definition, Led Bib are both a maverick jazz band and an unlikely rock quintet. Taking their name from a protective garment used on patients during dental treatment, this Walthamstow based five-piece of twenty-somethings pride themselves on side- stepping convention, with incendiary results. The friends, who can usually be found in one another’s homes drinking tea and discussing the merits of biscuit types, have together torn apart the jazz world with their avant-jazz-euphoric-rock explosions of improvisation. And whilst fun may not be something which often comes to mind in relation to jazz, it’s the addition of this playfulness that has over years seen Led Bib throw out any jazz preconceptions and entice a whole new army of supporters to the genre. Combining the energy and passion of a rock outfit with the technical ability of trained jazz musicians their effect is exhilarating.

The group, formed in 2003 by drummer/composer Mark Holub established its current line up around five years ago. Since then they have rocketed into the public consciousness within a swirl of critical acclaim, high profile shows, awards and a growing audience base, won over by their electric live sets - the sonic equivalent of a volcanic eruption backed by a fire storm.

The group released their first album in May 2005 to widespread critical praise and went on to win the 2005 Peter Whittingham Jazz Award, whose previous winners include Soweto Kinch, Tom Arthurs and Empirical. Second album ‘Sizewell Tea’, released through Babel in 2007, moved the group into a new level of awareness with a string of high profile dates: 12 Points festival in Dublin where they represented Britain, the reopening event for the Royal Festival Hall, a 1 hour live session on BBC Radio 3 and a flurry of shows at leading venues including the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Pizza Express Soho, North Sea Jazz Festival and more. 2008 saw them release a limited edition CD to more acclaim despite its unavailability in the shops.

Led Bib are bandleader Mark Holub on drums, Liran Donin on electric and stand up bass, Toby McLaren playing Rhodes and piano and Chris Williams and Pete Grogan up front as the two duelling alto sax players. Although egalitarian in design, Holub’s presence as bandleader is felt throughout. Fired by the sounds of Ornette Coleman and John Zorn emanating from the downtown scene where he started out, he leaves his mark on the group by driving tracks through at full throttle with his 700 BPM drumming.

The fourth and latest album ‘Sensible Shoes’ in true Led Bib style is awash with unusual ideas. It takes in a deranged waltz (Yes, Again), Tom and Jerry chases and calypso cheek (Squirrel Carnage) to more sensitive traditional jazz structures (Early morning). There’s a resurrection of electronic pioneer Delia Derbyshire’s ghost (2.4:1 (still equals none)), an ode to Hewlett Packard lament (Call Centre Labyrinth), a reflective, very English, John Surman style ballad (Water Shortage) and epic closing track penned by Williams about a life begun in Edmonton, North London (Zone 4). Their individual references peer out through the likes of Metallica like riffs and Northern Soul licks to New York Downtown influenced improvisation.

Led Bib equipment:

Mark Holub uses:

Mapex Drums