Ishmael Ensemble Raise the Roof at Manchester’s Gorilla [Show Review]

Following on from their intimate and short album launch documented on this site recently (read that review here), Ishmael Ensemble have embarked on a tour to flesh out their new album, Rituals, and flex their new dance-inflected muscles even further. Manchester’s Gorilla on a Saturday night is as good a place as any to get down to the front and dance the trials and tribulations of the week away. Ishmael Ensemble are there to provide the perfect soundtrack. Fronted by multi-instrumentalist Pete Cunningham and keys/vocalist Holyseus Fly, the jazz is still there and has not been completely pushed aside, as in the opening “Feather,” taken from 2021’s Visions of Light. This is a reminder of their roots and a precursor for what is to come. Pete playfully warns the audience, who have come for a j...

unsplash-logoLilith Redmoon