On a wintery Sunday night, Brisbane’s jacket-clad masses shuffled out of the bitter cold and into the welcoming warmth of a sold-out Princess Theatre. Despite the layered attire and a looming workweek, the crowd arrived ready to move. With UK five-piece Ezra Collective in town, that almost felt like a prerequisite. Wrapping up their whirlwind Australian run with a final stop as part of Brisbane’s Open Season festival, the London jazz titans seemed set on going out with a bang.
Ahead of the band’s arrival, a DJ set stirred the room to life. The backing tracks had the early birds swaying, and by the time Groove Armada’s “Superstylin’” blasted through the venue as the unofficial walk-on anthem, the room was humming. As the lights dimmed and the crowd stirred and roared, a robotic voice gently reminded us: “Dance is life, and you can’t be angry when you’re dancing”.
Red lights bathed the empty stage as the sound of horns blasted through the theatre. As heads turned to the upper mezzanine a spotlight revealed trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi and saxophonist James Mollison perched above the crowd, blasting away. The groove was then built below them driven by bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones and drummer-bandleader Femi Koleoso who had all arrived on stage. The instant hit of satisfying Afro-Cuban, jazz styled dance music carried through the hall. As the crowd broke out in mass dance hysteria across the venue, the horn section slowly made their way to the stage, greeted with roaring applause.
For the uninitiated like myself, identifying the band’s movements between tracks proved a near-impossible task as each tune was performed completely instrumentally with no vocals. However, as each song was delivered with a level of guts and tenacity in a way recordings simply cannot replicate, each song flowed, moved and jammed in a way that required no singer. The mass trance of shuffling feet and wayward arms inspired by an infectious rhythm section was spurred by the bands frenetic pace and airtight playing.
The bands flow felt less like a setlist or checklist, but closer to the orchestration of a mood. From the first drop to the final encore, they operated with the kind of tightness and spontaneity that only comes from relentless touring, near-telepathic chemistry and mastery of their respective instruments. The band, decked out in matching Nike polos blended in yellow and green and adorned with the Australian coat of arms, moved as one. Jumping, dancing, feeding off each other’s musical choices and the crowd’s reactions. From the first song, the party was already peaking.
“How you feeling Brisbane!” came the shout from TJ Koleoso after the first tune. “We are Ezra Collective from London. The question I have for you, on our very last day in Australia…is there anyone who’s ready to dance with the EZ?” The band then asked everyone to turn around and greet someone they didn’t know. “It makes the dancefloor feel more blessed,” TJ said. A rare sight, the room full of strangers smiled and waved and got to know those standing by them which was a nice touch.
The next tune kicked off with a slick solo from TJ as the tempo built and unscripted clapping spread from floor to mezzanine. Armon-Jones’s funky keys solo soared while Ogunjobi and Mollison brought down the house with groovy horn lines. The musicianship was staggering, but more than that, the hypnotic power of rhythm was in full effect. The adjectives to describe the band are as convoluted as the genre hopping required to describe their music: jazz, Afrobeat, hip-hop, reggae, soul, funk, Latin. Regardless, the crossed arms of the people at the back were compelled into movement. Hypnotic. Trancelike. Magical. Whatever it is, it’s infectiously joyous.
A third number prompted call-and-response with the audience, attempting to replicate a sax line that was far too complex for most in the room to replicate. But it didn’t matter. The sight of James Mollison, cool as ever in dark sunglasses, towering over the crowd and commanding the saxophone was simply cinematic.
The band drifted between explosive dancefloor workouts and more melodic, spiritual interludes. As a newcomer to Ezra Collective’s catalogue, the inability to identify the structure was disorienting, but slowly became freeing. Focusing on the movement and the vibe took precedent over any sense of “setlist” essentials.
Mid-set, Femi Koleoso stepped away from the drum kit and took up the mic. He explained why Ezra Collective had chosen Brisbane as the final stop of their Australian tour, sharing a story about a young local fan named Abby who once asked him for a drum lesson, planned for Splendour in the Grass. Though the lesson was initially cancelled due to festival complications, he eventually made good on the promise. “I’ve been thinking about Jennifer, Abby’s mum,” he said. “When we come to Australia, I think about the parents back home who did that for us. When I picked up the sticks, I never imagined we’d come to the other side of the world. But coming to places like this, where people care, where people show up, it makes that dream real”.
With that, he delivered the night’s clearest mission statement: “When you look around and the world sucks, you ask, is this really the time to dance to Afro jazz? But then you come to places like this, and it becomes healing. So tonight we’re going to turn this room into a temple of joy”.
The band were certainly already well on their way to achieving that goal. The ceremonial, spiritual experience of being in the crowd was transformative and energising in a way that few live acts have the power to deliver. As Femi returned to his kit and the band launched into the next song, the temple doors were well and truly thrown open.
A full-scale frenzy followed as the band waded into the crowd, parting the centre of the room and performing amidst a halved crowd. The audience were then directed to get low, before erupting in a choreographed jump. At one point, the crowd were encouraged to form dance circles with the strangers they’d met earlier. As the Afro-Cuban dance tracks poured out one after other, they soundtracked the coolest, most bombastic house party to ever be played in a large theatre. Bands that have the power to command intimacy in a vast space are sights to behold, and to participate is frankly euphoric.
As the band hit the final notes of their set, the band leapt into the crowd for a round of sweaty high-fives and final blessings. Then, silence. The lights rose. The spell broke. Outside, the winter chill returned. For one night in Brisbane however, Ezra Collective led a congregation that made us forget about all of it, if only for two hours.
For a group without a singer, no lyrical hooks, and songs that defy the mould of modern pop, Ezra Collective have somehow mastered the art of togetherness. Their live show is a mission from beginning to end to get every pair of feet moving, every set of arms waving and to make 900 strangers feel like best of friends. The lack of words proves that rhythm doesn’t need translation, it’s a universal language.
If this is what it means to worship at the temple of joy, consider me converted.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Reviewer attended 1.6.26
Open Season continues across July – Find the full program, info & tickets HERE
Photo Credit: Eloise Coomber from The Forum, Melbourne 29.05.25
Open Season 2025 lineup:
1tbsp | Accomplice Collective | Christine Anu | Cloud Control | DIIV | Emma Volard
Ezra Collective | Handsome | Jessica Pratt | Kamasi Washington | Kiasmos
Killing Heidi | Miss Kaninna | Moktar | MonoNeon | Mount Kimbie
Pale Jay | Purient | Ravyn Lenae | Sahara Beck | Shouse
Sigur Rós w Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra | Skegss | Soccer Mommy
Surprise Chef | The Gin Club | The Preatures | Thelma Plum
More info & tickets: openseason.live
