Roller Trio, The Vortex

MOBO Award and Mercury Prize nominees Roller Trio return to the Vortex following the release of their highly anticipated second album, Fracture, late last year.
The trio, which features James Mainwaring on tenor saxophone and electronics, Luke Wynter on guitar and Luke Reddin-Williams on drums, met while studying at Leeds College of Music. They won the prestigious Peter Whittingham Jazz Award shortly afterwards and released their self-titled debut album in 2012 to MOBO and Mercury Prize acclaim, earning a nomination for the Best Newcomer category in the inaugural Jazz FM Awards along the way.
Fracture comes from the same mould as that debut outing, with its driving rock grooves, electronic loops, ambient soundscapes and passages of choppy rhythmic interplay that toy with tempos, beats and barlines. The same influences are in evidence too, among them free jazz pioneer Anthony Braxton, rock band Queens of the Stone Age and hip hop producer J Dilla.
But the writing is tighter and more punchy this time, the slow burners are as strong as the churning head nodders (balladic Wynter composition is a particular highlight) and the soloistic virtuosity of all three players has gone up a gear. Prepare for blistering drum breaks, sax and guitar heroics and high energy duels, and get in there early. The trio have a big London following who’ll be fighting tooth and nail for a ticket.