Ashok to the system

2:24pm Tuesday 21st March 2006

THE New Beatniks are in town, with their Bohemian cabaret of urban poetry and funky jazz. I recently heard Ashok performing in the intimate underground ambience of Oliver's jazz bar in Greenwich.

I could just about see the band through an atmospheric blue haze of cigarette smoke. The elegantly louche-looking audience of arts students and music afficionados will be bereft when the smoking ban comes into force next year though the poor singers and wind players might be glad of the reprieve.

At Ashok's core are three young musicians; guitarist, writer and producer Chris Lane, lyricist and rapper Leo Nathan and classically-trained singer Flo Welsh.

Flo is an English rose, who sings like Joni Mitchell and whirls round the tiny stage like Janis Joplin.

Her haunting descant floats ethereally above Leo's rapping, but her voice shows steely power when she's flying solo.

I was unsure at first about Leo. The wordsmith's angelic looks and wavy hair seemed at odds with his street-talking ghetto cadences. But his abilities soon shone through. The rapper also has a great singing voice which works well in harmony with Flo's and should be featured more during the set.

The three front a changing collective of players, but I suggest they stick with the lineup I heard on the night.

The talented and eclectic combination of lead and bass guitars, trombone, bongo drum and electric cello worked like a dream.

Throughout the set, these diverse elements came together in delightful ways.

The cello added mournful gravitas to pop, while the mellow trombone sweetened harsh urban edges.

The music had an organic feel, stemming from the simplicity of hands slapping hide as the single bongo drum drove the rhythm section.

Ashok are hard to categorise. New Beatnik is the label being bandied about, whatever it means. There is jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop in the mix as well as echoes of traditional ballads and folk.

One song, Coffin Maker, was a particular delight. Its morbidly funny lyrics and infectious tune gave these London waifs a Dickension air.

The band hope to have a debut album out this summer. In the meantime, you can catch them fortnightly in Greenwich.

Looking good and sounding better, Ashok's vibrant music floods the lively crowd in the little basement club.

Ashok, at Oliver's, Nevada Street, Greenwich, March 22 and April 5, from 9pm, £5, visit oliviersjazzbar.com