By Megan Foulk, Co-Deputy Music Editor and Sophie Scannell, Music Subeditor
A collaborative event shared between two of the university's most exciting music societies, Jazz Funk Soul Society and Bristol Big Band Society, this year's stop at The Fleece switched out Somerset cider for Cosmopolitan cocktails, bringing New York to Bristol with the glitteringly glamorous 'Sax & The City'.
Having trekked through single figure temperatures worthy of competing with New York's own frosty climate, the evening began as authentically as ever, queuing for the cloakroom as The Fleece started to fill.
No stranger to sold out events, with JFS often packing out Mr Wolf's on a Tuesday night and The Bristol Hornstars frequently entertaining the masses at the likes of Barrelhouse and Old Market Assembly, Sax & The City proved no exception.
Exhausting the venue's 400 person capacity, if you were anywhere on campus fighting pre-exam season procrastination on Wednesday, you'd likely have overheard someone's disappointment at opening the Eventbrite app to find the event SOLD OUT, and as the JFS house band kicked the night off, it was easy to see why.
With the floor filling just in time for the group's arrival, a handful of eager musicians scuttled onto stage as the crowd came to a collective hush. Launching into a swirling of saxophone grooves and jangling piano improvisation, the room's energy was immediately swept into jazz heaven.
Concluding a smoothly delivered saxophone duet with a tickling comment that Carrie Bradshaw herself would be proud of, 'I'm not gonna make a foreplay joke but we're the JFS house band and we're hear to warm you up', the suavity of the evening infected the audience like a heavy waft of aftershave on a busy tube carriage.
Equally delighting for the non-jazz heads in the room, the band welcomed vocalist Isobel Black for a swinging rendition of Caro Emerald's 'That Man', winning all-round applause.
A setlist littered with classic singalongs old and new, the band sprung from Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstitious’ to Sammy Rae and The Friend’s ‘Kick it to Me’, with a wave of smugness permeating the crowd whenever they recognised a familiar opening note.
Suitably warmed up, Bristol University Jazz Orchestra (BUJO) - perhaps the most appropriately named BIG band you'll ever see - assumed their seemingly cosy position on stage.
A whopping fifty-piece band, the Bond theme opener oozed fast paced, big city electricity, as did the bouncing, high energy arrangement of Rocky’s 'Gonna Fly Now', a brass classic.
Encouraging some audience participation with sharp shushes in 'It's Oh So Quiet', vocalist Maika Brealey delivered the evening's class with beautiful tone and smile worthy commitment to the track's closing scream 'zing boom – SCREAM - so what's the use, of falling in love'.
Returning to stage after opening on keys and percussion with JFS, conductor Oscar Pelly, a Second Year Biochemistry student, led the band confidently with infectiously energetic time keeping.
Having swapped his previous uniform (a Christmas jumper Ron Weasley would be jealous of) for a tux, which he later admitted he 'severely regret', the arm workout that is conducting fifty musicians alongside bright stage lighting, turned up the heat in the busy venue.
Still with higher temperatures to reach though, vocalist Wilfred Kemsley ensured a house shaking close to BUJO's set with a goosebump inducing performance of Bruno Mars' 2010 hit single 'Runaway Baby', met deservingly with overwhelming whoops and cheers.
Closing the evening, the university's auditioned big band The Bristol Hornstars strapped in for their rollercoaster set. Significantly smaller than their big sister BUJO, but with no compromise on impact, conductor Oliver Manley, Third Year Music student, introduced the band alongside vocalists Alice Matthews and Grace Rogers.
Sending the crowd into a noughties frenzy with a stellar arrangement of Kanye West and Estelle's 'American Boy', we may as well have been in a club circa 2008, save for a little extra floor stickiness and some unpredictable foam cannons.
Interspersing their big hitters with an impressive performance of 'Pythagatha', featuring a brain-melting trombone solo from 1st Trombone Alice Cleak, the talent of the band never risked being overshadowed by the vocalists, with the collective working in perfect harmony.
Sharing the stage for a duet of Chaka Khan's 'I Feel For You', delightfully intertwining funk with disco with soul with jazz, vocalists Alice Matthews and Grace Rogers tied the perfect bow on a fantastic showcase of student talent.
A fantastically fun mid-week break from essay writing and revision, no doubt plenty will be returning to the societies array of gigs in the new year.
Featured Image: Isaac HowieHave you attended a JFS or Big Band Society gig before?
