@ 730 - SMITH & WILLOX: Neil Smith, guitar; Mike Willox, keyboard; Dave Johnston, bass; Matt Jones, drums. The mighty powerhouse of deconstructed prog-rock finally comes to The Cori! "There's something very seductive about the tightly disciplined playing out of chaotic musical ideas - it worked for Captain Beefheart and it's working for Smith & Willox. Their wordless'Lost Cow' album shrieks, coos, mocks and apologises at you, leading you from gloomy tunnels into sparkling electric landscapes before deluging you with cheese and then whispering conspiratorially in your ear. It could be prog - there's enough pompous chord washes and drum thunder in tracks like'The Mighty Chris' to make a brilliant Yes out-take - but the weirdly jaunty'Faye Is Funk' is actually very funky (mostly) and the epic'Muffin Mind' throws everything it can at a Krautish undertow before conceding to their inner Zeppelin. What's going on? It's like a beautifully crazed puzzle - there's no answer, except to say it makes for magnificent music that somehow always works. " (Venue). More info: http://www.myspace.com/smithandwillox

@ 9 - @ 9 - TROYKA: Brought to us again by James Gardiner-Bateman (JayGeeBee Promotions), Troyka are Chris Montague, guitars and loops; Joshua Blackmore, drums, and Kit Downes, organ three young London-based musicians whose intense live shows have seen them hotly tipped to follow in the footsteps of Polar Bear and the Portico Quartet. In 2009 they released one of the most revered and highly acclaimed albums of the year, pushing them to the forefront of the British jazz scene. With performances throughout the UK including some of the most prestigious festivals (London, Glasgow and Cheltenham), Troyka emerged as the band everyone was talking about. Just over two years down the line Troyka have recorded a sensational second album - Moxxy that will send shockwaves throughout the European jazz scene. Recently released on Edition Records, it demands attention from start to finish a visceral mash-up of rock, jazz and dance music, it's utterly absorbing, shocking and charismatic.

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