Abigail Snail is not a woman but a quirky alias chosen by vocalist/guitarist Stef Kett and drummer Will Glaser who first bonded in the community surrounding New River Studios in north London.
The duo’s ten track debut release also features James Allsopp on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet.
Cited influences range from Rory Gallagher to Sun Ra Arkestra and this gives a flavour of the broad scope of their ambitions. I’d venture that Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band were another inspiration.
Spontaneity and improvisation provide the freewheeling basis for their ‘anything goes’ sound. They say: “We wanted to capture the natural interplay of playing live together while keeping the overall sound fruity, full of life, with a sense of in-the moment rock’n’roll spray.
What results is an impressively madcap mix of avant-rock, free jazz and general messing about. They wisely know how to balance the crazier stuff (e,g. Good Grief) with relatively conventional tunes like Attach Bayonets and Stay Rad.
The effect is certainly bold and unusual with plenty of energy to spare.
This may turn out to be a one-off cult record or evolve into a project that explores all the many possibilities further. Hopefully it will be the latter.
