Hot 8 Brass Band bring the funk to London this Halloween

While the rest of London is either roaming the streets trick or treating or negotiating pumpkin carving tools, I – with 1,000 of my closest friends – will be spending Halloween night with New Orleans’ Hot 8 Brass Band at Scala.

They’re a brass band, sure, but this is no British colliery band. They’re from New Orleans and they are bringing the funk – literally. Think soul meets hip hop, throw in some Marvin Gaye, Basement Jaxx and The Specials covers, and you’ll start to get the idea.

The Hot 8 Brass Band have a lot of heart and a lot of history. The band’s line-up has been constantly evolving since its formation in 1995, but many of the band members have been playing together since high school. With a regular slot at Jazz Fest and frequent appearances at local music joints including The Howlin’ Wolf, Le Bon Temps and Maple Leaf, they are a constant on the New Orleans music scene.

Expect a party. Expect foot-stomping rhythms and roof-raising harmonies, wailing trumpets and the funkiest tuba you’ve ever heard. Leave your Walter White costume at home and join the crowd for what I can promise will be the most epic-est of sweaty dance-fests (if that’s your thing, of course).

Hot 8 Brass Band - Ghost Town