Ezra Collective became the first UK jazz act to headline OVO Arena Wembley on 15 November, the final tour stop for their new album.
Dance, No One’s Watching was released on 27 September to rave reviews from critics and fans alike, which was unsurprising given their 2023 win of the coveted Mercury Prize.
Over the course of 19 songs, the band celebrate the joy of community and dance, collaborating with UK soul favourites including Yazmin Lacey and Olivia Dean.
Drummer and band leader Femi Koleoso told The Observer: “The dancefloor encapsulates what life is.
“You can live your life without the anxiety that’s stopping you from dancing.”
Since the release of their debut album You Can’t Steal My Joy in 2019, the band has steadily established itself as one of the most respected and creative forces working in the UK music industry today.
They owe their success to the youth jazz programme Tomorrow’s Warriors and youth music club Kinetika Bloco, where they met and realised music could be a viable career option.
However, this didn’t come without challenges.
Koleoso told The New York Times: “I saw jazz as an elite art form that I didn’t have access to.”
The band’s mission became making jazz music accessible through expressing their varied musical influences from hip-hop to Afrobeat.
Ezra Collective are experts at creating uplifting energy and their headline show at OVO Arena Wembley was a masterclass in musicianship and crowd interaction.
Excitement grew as their support act Manchester’s soul/hip-hop group Children of Zeus delivered an impressive performance.
Fans were eager to see what Ezra Collective had in store, and they did not disappoint.
The spotlight fell on trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi in the middle of the crowd as he opened the show with a powerful solo, before flashing strobes introduced the rest of the band on stage.
This creative staging choice set the tone for the rest of the show.
The band were loose, spontaneous and ready for the crowd to dance with them.
After the first song, band leader Koleoso asked them to turn to a stranger and make friends.
He wanted the gig to feel like a community, free of loneliness and insecurity.
From a youth club to Wembley Arena.
— Ezra Collective (@EzraCollective) November 16, 2024
Thank you for dancing with us London.
Thank you for turning that room into a temple of joy.
And to everyone that danced with us on this tour. God Bless you all.
With love
Femi, TJ, Joe, Ife and James
EZ to the world pic.twitter.com/e7ukfjpnZB
The band showcased their impressive stamina with few breaks between songs from the new album including The Herald, Ajala, and their cover of Angie Stone’s Wish I Didn’t Miss You.
Almost everyone in the crowd was on their feet dancing and fully captivated by the performance.
The energy rose with guest appearances from collaborators M.anifest and Kojey Radical to perform their features on Streets is Calling and No Confusion respectively.
Koleoso paused the music once more to deliver a powerful speech about the circumstantial nature of happiness and sadness, encouraging the crowd to choose joy.
The band encapsulated what live performance should be about: having fun.
They closed the show with God Gave Me Feet For Dancing, the new album’s lead single.
Everyone continued to dance, fully appreciating the incredible talent on display.
After a performance as good as this, it was hard to believe they were the first UK jazz act to headline Wembley Arena.
They made engaging a crowd with mainly instrumental jazz music look easy and certainly belong on the big stages.
Their purpose always comes back to artistic integrity and community.
Koleoso told Mixmag: “Our aspirations are far more in the direction of creating a legacy that inspires people.
“That’s the deepest level of success.”
Ezra Collective have undoubtedly inspired a new generation of jazz fans, and they show no sign of stopping.
Anyone who loves jazz but missed out on Ezra Collective tickets can visit London Jazz Festival from November 15-24.
Featured image credit: Sasha White
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