Fergus Quill Plays Xero Slingsby + Christie/Chan Duo / Wharf Chambers Leeds

On Thursday 26th November, bandleader/bass player Fergus Quill reprises his tribute to the original Leeds alt-jazz pioneer Xero Slingsby, and his band The Works. In the week of Xero’s 69th birthday, Fergus and his quintet will be playing music from their 2023 album “Up Yours! Fergus Quill Plays Xero Slingsby”, a selection of reimagined music from the only two albums Xero released in the mid-1980s, a few years before he sadly died from a brain tumour.

Alto saxophonist Xero Slingsby (real name Matthew Coe) appeared on the music scene in Leeds in the late 1970s and became heavily involved in the local jazz and experimental music scenes in the city. He was a talented musician who played in venues but also on the streets as a busker, which in the 1980s was still illegal in most UK cities. This resulted in dozens of arrests and court appearances, which he always challenged and often got the cases overturned, becoming a fierce campaigner for busker’s rights.

In 1983, he formed the groundbreaking trio Xero Slingsby & The Works alongside bass player Louis Colan and drummer Gene Velocette. Together, they played regularly in Leeds and across UK as well as mainland Europe (Holland, Belgium, Germany), for 5 years from 1983 until 1988 when Xero sadly succumbed to a brain tumour at just 30 years old. They recorded/released just two albums – “Shove It” (1985) and “Up Down” (1986) – a mix of free jazz, twisted funk, TV soundtracks, punk energy and quirky English comedic wit reminiscent of people like Monty Python and Viv Stanshall. These records, the music of the band and Xero himself have grown over the years to achieve cult status with many people, and this was further enhanced in 2022 when Xero’s widow Sally Coe produced and released a film called “Shove It! The Xero Slingsby Story”. Entirely funded by Xero fans via a crowdfunding campaign organised by Sally, the documentary has been shown at jazz and film festivals but as of today, still not had a general release.

Bass player Fergus Quill heard about Xero Slingsby a few years ago, was fascinated by the man’s story and fell in love with his music. This makes sense as Xero’s music would easily fit into today’s Leeds DIY-alt jazz scene where musicians and bands like Fergus Quill Trio, Vipertime, Yoshizawa, Teruki Chan, Nikka Ticciati, Amon Ra Collective and Harvey Parkin-Christie make music that’s more CBGBs in spirit than Ronnie Scott’s. Fergus felt Xero’s music should be heard by a new generation and so began transcribing and re-arranging tunes for a recording.

In November 2023, Fergus and his band recorded and released an album dedicated to Xero and The Works. Titled “Up Yours! Fergus Quill Plays Xero Slingsby”, it reimagined many of Xero’s compositions from his two 1980s albums. Released on Trash City Records, it was heavily supported on BBC 6 Music by Deb Grant on New Music Fix, including a live session from the BBC studios in Manchester. A Leeds launch party sold out, with many of Xero’s friends and colleagues from the 80s coming down and praising the musical skills, energy and attitude of this younger band’s homage to the man’s music. This set has only been played out a few times in Leeds, plus single shows in Manchester and London. It’s time for a rewind in the city where it all began so in the week which would have been Xero’s 69th birthday, “Fergus Quill Plays Xero Slingsby” makes it’s debut in Leeds’ very own indie/punk/new wave inspired venue Wharf Chambers…..the perfect space for a night of riot jazz mayhem and punk jazz anarchy.

The band are : Fergus Quill – bass & associated cacophony / Harvey Parkin-Christie – tenor saxophone / Bess Shooter – alto saxophone / Theo Goss – drums /Hamish Dixon – electronics & more associated cacophony

Support comes from the Christie/Chan Duo, fearless improvisers of Leeds, and pioneers of “barbarian jazz” in the North of England. Consisting of re-emerging artists saxophonist Harvey Parkin-Christie and drummer Teruki Chan, they’ve been taking their barbarian jazz message to the far corners of the UK and beyond, reaching as far as Hungary and Japan. Like all the best free jazz and improvised music artists, they have phenomenal musician skills on their instruments, delivering performances with intensity, passion and a dose of tongue-in-cheek humor as a side dish. Get down early to have your eyebrows singed with some sonic sounds explosions.

This show is presented with financial support from Jazz North and their New Northern bursary, helping emerging artists to perform non-mainstream jazz and related music at grassroots venues.

Doors 7.30pm. Christie/Chan Duo 8.00pm. Fergus Quill Band 9.00pm. Curfew 10.30pm.
Tickets from Seetickets (direct link in this Facebook event) plus DICE, Jumbo Records and Crash Records.
Wharf Chambers is a private members club. You must be a member or guest of a member to attend. Joining cost just £2.