Submotion Orchestra, Forum

At a time when brass band crossovers are thriving –see Riot Jazz, Hot 8, Renegade Brass Band- Leeds nine-piece Submotion Orchestra, are twisting the genre towards the ambient, end of the spectrum, with a dash of funk, dub and d'n'b along the way.
Their debut EP, Finest Hour, dropped in 2010, and since then the band have released two full-lengths, and toured extensively. We were lucky enough to catch them on a Croatian beachfront at sundown, a time of day perfectly suited to their dreamy, jazz-accented ambience.
These are no one-trick ponies, though. Back Chat, from their first album (also titled Finest Hour), starts off a jazz number, but soon crunches into sinister snares and bass wobbles, tremulous piano lingering over the top of what is essentially dubstep, done live. Secrets too promises electronic ambience but quickly segues into dark, chopped drum'n'bass, with Ruby Wood's soulful vocals soaring above, before bursting back into furious live brass around the three-and-a-half minute mark.
Their second album, Fragments, was released this year to equally rave reviews. Expect to taken on a journey by a group of superbly talented musicians