Last Wednesday The Palace (formerly The Metro) played host to the mighty Basement Jaxx. What’s a “Jaxx”? Why is it in the basement? These are questions I can’t answer, except to say the name conjures up images of crazy beats and ingenious usage of samples created by magical beasts locked up downstairs in a manky English basement. A fitting enough description for a duo whose work has cross-pollinated more genres than the bees in my backyard that hop back and forth between making love to my dad’s collection of sunflowers and various fruit trees (Jah bless the wog garden). Throw in a critically acclaimed live show and you have a recipe for awesomeness (I know it’s not a word, don’t tell me what to do).

The Jaxx, fully backed up by a live band and a plethora of guest vocalists, kept the energy high and intense for the entire duration of the near 2 hour set. Jaxx classics like “Jump N’ Shout” & “Red Alert” were interspersed with random sprinklings of some of their (I assume) favourite current club classics, like M.I.A’s “Paper Planes” and Lil’ Wayne’s “A Milli”. The boys (Felix Buxton & Simon Ratcliffe) stood in the centre on the decks, harmoniously mixing their programmed beats with a live drummer, guitarist and percussionist. There was only a single moment where the tempo was brought right down, as the mood shifted to an acoustic version of their Bollywood-inspired hit “Romeo”. Even more enjoyable than the constant barrage of certified dance classics, were the numerous wardrobe and costume changes, lending a real sense of showmanship to the already expertly-crafted show.

As the collective began to wind things down and say their goodbyes, everyone came back for an obligatory encore which consisted of the shoe-shuffling “Do Your Thing” and the song which initially put the Jaxx on my musical radar years ago, “Bingo Bango”. Everything in the show was designed to keep the energy at 10 and never let it drop, a perfect compliment to the music itself which is usually high energy and full of life. But can I just say, those wanting to put on a memorable gig must take note of a simple technique employed by Basement Jaxx on the night: dudes in gorilla suits. As if the place wasn’t pumping enough, the intensity went through the roof near the end of the set as 3 guys (or girls, who can really tell) suddenly jumped onto the stage and started running amok, one of them even picking up one of the vocalists/dancers and carrying her off on his/her shoulder. If you were a casual fan, you might be perplexed by such actions. But as a longtime Jaxx nut, it’s all part of their unique mish-mashed aesthetic. One need only look at the art direction on their album covers/booklets, or their strikingly memorable music videos, to look at a bunch of gorillas running around on stage and simply think: “Oh yeah, this totally makes sense”.

The Jaxx collective are a much needed injection of pure life-affirming original music in an aural landscape which is seeing less and less quality being released. Their music is a mixture of so many different styles and genres that it’s pointless to try and describe them all, lest one sounds like an uppity know-it-all dick. Apart from being the vanguards of experimental dance music, the Jaxx put on a blistering live show to bring every single note to life in an audio and visual feast for the senses. Hope you caught em @ Future if you didn’t see em here!