One moment the Concert Hall was full of chatter, the next it was all brass and a single giant spotlight – Ezra Collective had arrived to perform their Vivid LIVE showcase, and they weren’t waiting around.
The stage had been opened up for this one, with the audience wrapped around all sides like a sunken dancefloor, instruments in the centre and from the first note, it was entirely movement and smiles and laughter.
Saxophonist James Mollison and trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi didn’t even start on stage. They were already in the crowd, lit by a lone spotlight dropping from the ceiling like a searchlight. Everyone turned to follow the sound, not quite sure where to look first.
Ezra Collective are known for this kind of thing. The London five-piece have spent the last decade pushing jazz out of its boxes, blending it with Afrobeat, dub, soul, grime – anything that hits. Their shows are loose but locked in, driven by feel, with drummer Femi Koleoso at the heart of it all. His kit was off to the side, but his presence was everywhere – grinning, guiding, pulling the crowd in without ever breaking the flow. “I want you to turn to a stranger next to you, say hello!” he beamed. And I’ve never seen so many people so enthused to grab a stranger within the first 10 minutes of a show.
Fresh off the back of their 2025 BRIT Award win, Ezra Collective have become one of the UK’s most quietly influential bands. You could feel that in the room. This wasn’t strictly a jazz crowd in any way. Their music moves the feet before it hits the brain, a Vivid LIVE standout like no other.
