Acoustic Ladyland @ Cabaret Voltaire

John Zorn once lamented over those critics who looked at his bands and saw saxophone and trumpet, only to instantly call it 'jazz'. The same approach could equally vex Acoustic Ladyland. With a line-up of sax, keys, bass, drums it would be easy to glance in their direction and dismiss them as Pizza Express noodlers, but as Zorn would say, most people look but don't listen. So to listen to Acoustic Ladyland is to hear a punk band, a rock band, a blues band, a funk-hop band sometimes, or if you really close your eyes, experimental electronica and the most far-out pop nonsense this side of Bjork. Live shows have gained notoriety as a flamboyant shambles and have shown just how much fun it is to shun expectations and traditions. The term 'new wave' gets thrown around a lot with little weight, but here is a band that really does conjure the spirits of Coltrane, Hendrix and Bad Brains. [Ali Maloney]