Live Review: Thundercat

It's an enthusiastic and very excited crowd that fills the Prince Bandroom early as a DJ spins some chill hip hop joints.

No one in the place seems to know exactly who the DJ is but as he switches lanes and starts mixing non-descript beats that plod instead of bounce, we line-up at the bar to rub shoulders with Kamasi Washington, who is happy to talk to us while we all are waiting to be served. As the DJ set comes to an end, Parliament's Atomic Dog quite appropriately comes up on the PA to get us in the mood for the almighty Thundercat.

There is a huge roar of approval from fans when Stephen Bruner comes to the stage. He is looking especially bling tonight in a glittery sequinned jacket and a large-framed sunglasses covered in pink glitter that matches his luscious pink dreads. It looks as though he's channelling Bootsy Collins tonight. However, Thundercat isn't an imitator. There can be no doubting that he is most definitely one of the coolest cats on the block, fronting a bare-bones three-piece on a six-string bass guitar.

Right from Rabbot Ho the trio play with great precision, dealing fast and furious grooves that build on intricate interactions between drums, bass and keys. It's completely hypnotising to watch Thundercat's fingers dancing up and down the frets delivering not only bass noise but at times synthesised sounds that take the mix into another dimension. Thundercat makes his playing look completely effortless. At times he quite magically draws out horn arrangements from his bass. It's easy to see why Herbie Hancock wanted Thundercat to feature on his latest album. The set kicks into a kind of abstract jazz vibe that draws attention to just how incredibly tight these dudes play. Justin Brown's drums are a delight, dealing intricate beats that skitter and roll. Bus In These Streets morphs into These Walls, which salutes Kendrick Lamar, who has taken great inspiration from both Thundercat and Kamasi Washington's music.

The set largely showcases material from his last album Drunk, but older material is also thrown in for good measure. Thundercat wears a huge smile throughout the show and proves himself to be something of a video game, cartoon and comic-loving geek who is similarly obsessed with '80s cheese and the vocal stylings of Michael McDonald. As the set progresses Thundercat moves from jazzy vibes to more upfront funk vibes with nods to Parliament Funkadelic and even Stevie Wonder. The tunes start to blur together after a while with 3AM and Drunk morphing to feel a little like a medley. Towards the end of the set Thundercat asks his best friend and his older brother to join him on stage. Surprisingly they replace his drummer and keyboard player, taking over to demonstrate that can play these songs brilliantly. They lead the charge through Friend Zone and Them Changes, which offer gloriously feel-good moments. 

During the encore Thundercat pays tribute to Tokyo, proclaiming it to be one of his favourite places. Oh Sheit, It's X! with its refrain "I just wanna party, you should be here with me" proves it's worth as a monster party starter but, alas, it's Thundercat's parting shot.