Hot 8 Brass Band announce Summer 2016 tour dates

New Orleans’ Hot 8 Brass Band bring their roof raising, rambunctious and world-renowned mix of hip hop, funk and inimitable Big Easy jazz back to the UK & Europe this summer (8th July-3rd September; full dates below), with a two-stage tour featuring major festival appearances and headline shows.

This announcement comes hot on the heels of May’s Spring Tour which saw the Grammy-nominated outfit selling out a comprehensive run including two London dates, as well as dropping an acclaimed new EP (“Can’t Nobody Get Down”, via long-term label home Tru Thoughts) and making media appearances including live sessions for BBC 6Music Morning Show, BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends and BBC Radio Scotland.

Alongside the launch of this next live stint, Tru Thoughts are premiering a mini-documentary about the band. Featuring interviews with the band (and high profile fan Craig Charles), and plenty of new and archive footage, Hot 8 Brass Band: 20 Years In The Making tells the story of this indefatigable musical and cultural force following the celebration of their 20th Anniversary last year.

“Working with Hot 8 was a bit of a dream come true”, says director Ben Cox. “I've been listening to and loving their music for ages and to get an insight into the individuals and culture that create and surround it was an amazing experience. These guys are a group of incredibly talented, hardworking and humble individuals making music because they love to, and for me that’s a pretty special thing to capture.”

Cox is in good company; his film delves into an incredible tale which not only comes through in Hot 8’s music but has also been featured in Spike Lee’s two New Orleans documentaries, When The Levee Broke and The Creek Don’t Rise, and David Simon’s HBO series Treme (in which the band played themselves).

One of the great New Orleans acts, Hot 8 have pushed on through a barely imaginable series of trials. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the separate deaths of five of their band members, and the horror of trumpeter Terrell “Burger” Batiste losing his legs in a car crash, have conspired to test these men almost to breaking point. They honour their fallen friends and help to work towards the future of their community by putting their energies into positive projects at home as well as touring as much as possible. They march together and they play their music – a rambunctious yet elegant and super-tight mix of jazz, funk and hip hop – not merely as though, but because their lives depend on it.

Transcending genres and trends, Hot 8 have performed and collaborated with a wide range of artists, from Lauryn Hill to Mos Def to the Blind Boys of Alabama, and were nominated for a Grammy in 2013 for their second album ‘The Life and Times Of…’. 2015’s acclaimed ‘Vicennial – 20 Years of the Hot 8 Brass Band’ LP, exemplifies their ability to honour their city’s musical traditions while forging their own powerful legacy. A celebratory 2016 gold vinyl release of remixes for their renowned version of “Sexual Healing” (for which a new video was also recently launched, gaining 400K+ hits) has continued to expand on their forward momentum and diverse appeal around their 20th Anniversary milestone.

In the live arena, Hot 8 Brass Band continue to win over audiences with their old school street brass approach, fusing it with some harder, funkier currents in the process and juxtaposing magnificent originals with fresh versions of Snoop Dogg, Stevie Wonder, The Specials or Basement Jaxx.

Full tour dates:
 
8-Jul-2016 British Summer Time, Hyde Park, London, UK

9-Jul-2016 Mostly Jazz, Birmingham, UK

10-Jul-2016 North Sea Jazz, The Netherlands

11-Jul-2016 Brussels Dances, Brussels, Belgium

13-Jul-2016 WOLFENBUETTEL, Kultursommer, Germany

14-Jul-2016 Larmer Tree Festival, Dorset, UK

14-Jul-2016 Colston Hall, Bristol, UK

15-Jul-2016 Durham Brass Festival, UK

16-Jul-2016 G! Festival, Faroe Islands

17-Jul-2016 Welcome to the Village Festival, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

19-Jul-2016 Parrish, Huddersfield, UK

20-Jul-2016 Warehouse 23, Wakefield, UK

21-Jul-2016 Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, Edinburgh, UK

22-Jul-2016 Clwb If Bach, Cardiff, UK

23-Jul-2016 Nozstock Festival, main stage, UK

24-Jul-2016 Secret Garden Party, UK (Main stage + Chai Wallahs Stage headline slot)

26-Jul-2016 Duke of Cumberland, Whitstable, UK

27-Jul-2016 Waterfront, Norwich, UK

28-Jul-2016 Riverbank, Nottingham, UK

29-Jul-2016 Womad Festival, UK (7-8:15pm)

29-Jul-2016 Farmfest, Bristol, UK (11:30-1am)

30-Jul-2016 Standon Calling Festival, UK

31-Jul-2016 Cambridge Folk Festival, UK

2-Aug-2016 The Continental, Preston, UK

3-Aug-2016 The Live Room, Chester, UK

4-Aug-2016 Band on the Wall, Manchester, UK

5-Aug-2016 Brass Wiesn, Germany

25-Aug-2016 Jazz Night Zug, Switzerland

26-Aug-2016 Shambala Festival, UK

27-Aug-2016 Greenbelt Festival, UK

28-Aug-2016 MK1 Milton Keynes, UK

29-Aug-2016 Clapham Common Festival, London, UK

30-Aug-2016 Fruit, Hull, UK

31-Aug-2016 Junction 1, Cambridge, UK

1-Sep-2016 Folkstone Quarterhouse, Kent, UK

2-Sep-2016 Outlook Festival, Croatia

3-Sep-2016 Obonjan, Croatia