Moruya's Funky Little Festival is on again. The Granite Town Festival committee is hosting a funk filled one day festival, on Saturday 23 September at the Moruya Racecourse. With just four weeks to go before Funk Day we thought it might be an idea to introduce you to the acts over the coming weeks.
DEEP STREET SOUL
At the forefront of the global funk & soul scene & hailing from Australia, Deep Street Soul specialise in delivery of hard-hitting gritty funk. Formed in 2006 as a Hammond led instrumental four piece, they honed their sound and craft on the burgeoning Melbourne soul scene paying homage to their hero’s from the late 60’s, in particular the sounds of the Meters and Booker & the MG’s. A homemade recording went on to become the first of two sold out 45’s on the local Jaycee’s label. These pressings were picked up on by Freestyle Records (UK) and the band signed to the label in 2008.
The debut self-titled album was released in late 2009 & included a cover of the MC5 anthem ‘Kick Out The Jams’ featuring New York soul sister Tia Hunter. MC5 guitarist Wayner Kramer dubbed the bands take of this classic “the greatest version of the song ever recorded”. The album itself generated international press & stellar reviews out of Europe & the US along with heavy DJ support on the global funk & soul scene.
The band followed up the LP with a European tour in 2010, playing shows across the UK, France and Spain including a live performance on Mark Lamarr’s (BBC2) seminal Friday night radio show ‘Gods Jukebox’.
After adding the dynamite vocals of ‘Mighty May’ Johnston in late 2011, Deep Street Soul broke away from their instrumental stylings and teamed up again with Freestyle Records to release their second album “Look Out, Watch Out”. Reviews were again sensational worldwide & in hometown Australia the album was featured heavily on radio across the country.
The live shows saw the band expand their lineup once again as the evolving sound called for the killer blows of a horn section. In 2013, the full 7-piece band headed OS again for their 2nd European tour performing a memorable show at the Glastonbury Music Festival. During this run of dates they also performed to full houses across the UK, Spain & France finishing with a memorable performance at the legendary Saint-Paul Soul Jazz Festival (France).
Along with Japanese crews Osaka Monaurail & Mountain Mocha Kilmanjarro and the US’s Will Sessions, Deep Street Soul take their place as one of the heaviest groups plying their trade on the international funk scene. They have played alongside legends such as Marva Whitney & Charles Walker, headlined Craig Charles (BBC6) club night @ Band on the Wall (Manchester UK), Russ Dewbury’s legendary ‘Jazz Rooms’ (UK/Aus) club night, and graced the stages of some of Europe’s & Australia’s largest festivals.
If you like your Hammond dirty, your diva funky, your rhythm section tight & your horn section slammin, check out Deep Street Soul!
