Live Review: Connan Mockasin, Jassbusters

There is a buzz among punters that tonight's sold-out show is going to deliver something special. The event gets started with the first episode of Bostyn ‘N Dobsyn, Connan Mockasin's cultish stoner soap opera/situational comedy about a lonely music teacher, Mr Bostyn, putting creepy Von Aschenbach moves on one of his high school students, Joseph/Josie Dobsyn. Jassbusters, the teacher's band, are then led on stage by Mr Bostyn (aka Mockasin) and at this stage of the game it seems that he’s got Dobsyn on tour with him. This evening Jassbusters demonstrate a clear fascination with bouffant wigs, which look as though they date back to the '70s.

It’s all a touch surreal but the four-pieces drop a sweet, thick fug of low-slung funk with subtle jazz vibes. References to Prince abound, but where Prince’s music would vigorously make love to our ears, Jassbusters feel like a bunch of old men looking for a cuddle before falling asleep in your arms. The lilting charm of Les Be Honest and restrained disco shuffle of Charlotte’s Thong offer supremely chilled thrills. The crowd laugh hysterically when Mr Dobsyn pauses to awkwardly ask everyone if they liked that last one. Their set looks and feels very much like an extension of the sitcom series.

After a 20 minute interval, it's Connan Mockasin and his band's turn to entertain. It’s with a cheeky smile that Mockasin is quick to point out how much he loves the Jassbusters. Mockasin’s quirky sense of humour is completely off the wall and the crowd laughs along all evening.

It soon becomes clear that during the interval Mockasin has imbibed and, by all appearances, he looks so elegantly wasted that it seems he can barely stand up. Mockasin impressively chugs down a magnum of wine and assorted glasses of spirits that seem to be liberally scattered about the stage. His excuse however is that today is his birthday, providing his band and the crowd reason enough to launch into singing Happy Birthday.

While Mockasin’s antics amuse the crowd, he and his band deal a selection of much-loved tunes from his first two solo albums. His band deals lusciously sexy slow jams with a slight experimental edge. The fluid breaks feel like improvisation. Mockasin’s vocals deliver in a sketchy falsetto rather than any kind of full-throated roar. The influence of funk is all over Mockasin’s music. His quirky approach doesn’t seek to replicate but rather he celebrates these iconic sounds on his own white boy stoner, psychedelic terms.

Amusingly, halfway through the set they collectively all forget what they are supposed to play next. “That’s why we should play with a setlist,” says Mockasin. Randomly twanging their guitars and staring into space, Mockasin indicates that they should only stumble like this in Houston because “Houston, we have a problem”. As they regain momentum, cuts like It’s Choade My Dear and the magnificent Forever Dolphin Love are clear highlights. When they focus on Why Are You Crying? and I’m The Man, That Will Find You they effortlessly win the hearts and minds of the crowd. The set sort of comes to an end, but someone shouts out “Soft Hair” and Mockasin obliges with Lying Has To Stop. Even though the show's over, Mockasin hangs about the stage until he decides to end the night by playing drums on a kind of creepy cover of Wicked Game, which his guitarist delivers. Mockasin has the crowd in stitches attempting to replicate Chris Isaak's yodel with some hilarious yelping sounds.

A gig that doesn't really play out on any layer of reality that most inhabit, Mockasin delivers a show that’s a like weird fever dream filled with random and surreal thoughts, to which his music is the soundtrack.