Enter the Deranged and Clown-Infested Gigs of the UK's WorldService Project This Friday

Charging trombone, turbulent sax, bellowing keyboards and thundering drums; Sergeant Pepper-esque military get-ups and political-enraged diatribes amidst beautifully arranged anarchy – the London-based troupe WorldService Project (WSP) isn’t your typical jazz outfit. In fact, after one listen to their delightfully deranged and commanding fourth full-length release Serve, which dropped earlier this year, you might be more inclined to lump them together with the loonies at your local dive bar.

Touching upon everything from bebop to prog rock, from P-funk to hardcore punk, the five-piece seems closer to in tone to Frank Zappa – a wry ‘‘blend of discipline and chaos’ that combines throbbing grooves, huge backbeats, grinding fuzz-bass onslaughts, and ferocious free blowing" that has made their live shows an absolute must – intense, unpredictable, and brazen experiences that mix humor, politics, theater, and raw energy into one hefty meal.

I had a chat with keyboardist and vocalist Dave Morecroft about ‘punk jazz,’ how politics found their way in their most recent work, and the band's mascot Mr. Giggles before their whirlwind Beijing smackdown at School Bar on Friday, Nov 23. 

With labels having less and less meaning these days, how does it feel adopting the term ‘punk jazz’? Do you feel more at home at a jazz club or in a rock venue? 
Punk jazz came about really as using an adjectival approach alongside a genre – a lot of the music of WSP is far from punk, but it’s all played with the punk attitude and approach; an ‘f-you’ to the jazz police, to the government and to the establishment. To be honest we love playing both in jazz clubs and rock venues! It’s great to have listening jazz audiences, it changes the music and you find it lives and breathes a bit more, extending the interaction and interplay in the group, but it’s so great to go out and play a hard-hitting and tight rock set too.

It’s a pretty eclectic group of talented musicians in your corner – what kind of different musical backgrounds do you guys come from? How does that diversity manifest itself in the band, particularly in the studio and rehearsal space?  
All the guys have different backgrounds – from jazz schools and classical music degrees in the UK, but also with a background of listening to loads of music, and playing between us literally every genre of music possible (except maybe country music)! Most of us studied music formally in a conservatory or university and right now we’re finding a really interesting balance when arranging the music – whether that’s Arthur (bass) ‘ad-libbing’ bass licks and riffs from his ‘funk/groove’ background or Ben (sax) utilizing extended improvisational techniques and digital effects to shape some improvised lines from his punk/rock sensibilities, we all bring something to the table that reflects the makeup of where we’ve come from and what we’ve listened to. Of course, the music originates from my brain so its a heavy mix of classical, jazz, rock, prog, and psych in its essence.

Your latest album Serve released back in April, is full of political rage and unhinged aggression – how much does angry and injustice inform your music? 
Its informed it a lot more on this album, I think because I’ve become more firm and confident in my political views, and happy to debate and express them. It’s also 2018 and at this moment in history, we have a lot of crazy situations going on politically – both in and out of the mainstream media. Brexit, for example, will be one of the worst decisions made in a generation (a decision, by the way, largely made by people who will be long dead by the time the full effects are ratified, and a decision that younger people will have to live with). So yes, it has arrived more in the music because I think for me both personally and in a wider sense, it had to. We also tour a lot, and the more you go abroad and collaborate with other people from different backgrounds, your perspective broadens and stretches like a muscle – WSP arrives wherever we go in the world with open minds and open hearts, wanting to share an experience with all we meet.

There’s a lot of unfurled tension in your sound – a combustible energy to how you play off one another which I imagine would make for some highly enjoyable shows. How do you approach your live sets and audiences? Have there ever been at times where you pushed yourselves too far? 
The live show has become more and more central in recent years, with humor, politics, theater, and raw energy all included... The interaction on stage is key, and I think it comes across most strongly that we’re having a great time! I guess we approach each venue and audience slightly differently depending on context and space – whilst trying to deliver the same show each time. It’s become a bit like that, you know? It’s a product, you have to deliver it because that’s what people are paying for. I’ve seen so many lackluster gigs in my life, I never want to be counted amongst them. In terms of ‘too far’... I’m not sure, I personally believe there is always another 10 percent one can find in the locker, but certainly outdoors at Tokyo Jazz Festival in 38 degrees (with humidity) wasn’t easy in our jackets!

A few of your songs (and an entire section of your website) are dedicated to "Mr. Giggles" – who exactly is Mr. Giggles, and what does he represent in the end? Will he be making an appearance next week? 
Well, people can indeed go on the website and read the entire ‘Tale of Mr. Giggles’ which should give a sense of who he is. I wouldn’t want to give more away here, but he will certainly be making an appearance at 90 percent of the shows.

Clearly, you haven’t had your fill of China yet. What keeps you coming back? What was the wildest thing you remember from your previous tours? Do you feel like you’ve got a better handle on the city and its ways? 
We’ve always loved China and to play here – it’s such a unique experience and venues and audiences operate in such a different way to the UK, it’s a challenge sometimes, but one we relish. We’ve been received so well by a lot of audiences and it’s a very exciting time for international music coming to China in this period – with a younger generation now growing up going to more gigs etc., I guess that’s the crux of it for me. Certainly, this year will be easier than 2015 where, to be honest, we were bouncing around just guessing how to get to places most of the time! Subsequently, we’ve worked with local tour managers which makes it so much easier, but also we’ve learned a lot of things by direct experience (sometimes harsh lessons). It’s funny you ask this question, because without a doubt China tours have rendered some of the craziest and most entertaining stories we’ve ever experience as a band – but I’d get in trouble with the other guys if I told them here, BUT, I promise to tell a story over a beer (which is always so much more pleasant) after a gig if anyone is curious.

Catch WorldService Project in their deranged glory at School on Friday, Nov 23 at 9pm. They'll be playing alongside female fronted punks Pizza Face and rising punk trio Need Will Need! Tickets are RMB 80.

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Images courtesy of WorldService Project