Who are the mysterious Jupiter Band?

So who exactly are the mysterious musicians who will be whipping up a storm at this year’s Winter Solstice Spectacular?  I can now reveal the line-up for the show.

Well,The Jupiter Band is the house band for East London’s Jupiter Club, a monthly affair whereby invited songwriters can showcase their songs backed by a joyous, swinging band made up of players from some of London’s top combos.  The all-star band is extremely versatile with some players swapping instruments in order to best serve the songs, be they folk-inflected piano ballads or righteous gospel-driven stompers.

Two of the club’s prime movers, J Maizlish Mole and yoB, (an alter-ego for Dan Gale Hayes), will be ripping through through their respective songbooks, taking it in turns to step up to the microphone.

 J Maizlish Mole is an accomplished visual artist as well as a musician who is best known for leading The Marseille Figs, one of my all-time favourite party bands who are currently recording their third album, provisionally titled Bee Sting.  The Figs have accompanied the Pogues round the US and UK and played every kind of venue imaginable ,including Hackney speakeasies, public swimming pools, Berlin dancehalls, Brixton Academy and our favourite other club, the Gypsy Hotel.

J Maizish Mole on stage at Brixton Academy 2009, picture by Ella Finer

yoB's songs have been described as gobby folk – acoustic, melodic, pointed, personal, intelligent and catchy as hell. He's released an EP of songs, Mess is Lore (2011) and is now completing his second. He's been playing small gigs and big gigs and festivals all over the country for the last couple of years, leading audiences in singalongs of his brilliant songs. yoB also plays with Man Like Me and trumpet with The JJ Horns- the Pogue’s horn section for the last ten years.

For this show The Jupiter Band will feature Chris Alcock on trombone, piano and electric guitar, sixteen year old sax wizard, Gustavo CM, on sax, clarinet and piano, Uncle Tom Ash on double and electric bass.  Completing the line-up is distinguished jazzer Felix Weldon on drums.

So expect a selection of songs sung with vim and vigour played in  a variety of styles from punky folk, through country tinged laments  to  rollicking horn-driven rock’n’rollers. Wonder whether they’ll deliver anything gangnam style?  Stranger things happen regularly at the WHC.