On 26th May, Londoners have a chance to see Hackney Colliery Band perform at Camden’s iconic KOKO, where the brass superstars, who played a stirring 45 minute set at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, are due to stage their biggest headline show to date. The gig coincides with the release of their first live album, recorded over three shows in 2016 and early 2017, capturing the band on peak form. Playing largely original material from their second and third albums Common Decency and Sharpener, as well as some crowd-pleasers including their unique mash-up of Prodigy covers, rousing versions of Blackstreet’s No Diggity and Nirvana’s Heart-Shaped Box, and concluding with an acoustic version of Toto’s Africa as they parade through the crowd at the end of the set. With all of their recent London shows selling out months in advance, including the 800-capacity Village Underground, their KOKO show will undoubtedly be a real highlight, and well worth catching.
