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Andy Kershaw once likened modern jazz to a “fire in a pet shop", well he would, wouldn’t he?, but in a suitable spirit of mischief, prog jazzers World Service Project take that fire on the road, presumably carrying it like the Olympic torch with protective gloves accompanied by a bus riding alongside blaring out inappropriate music, possibly by Heather Small.

They’re off to Hull and back beginning on Humberside at the Pave Bar on Sunday (14 April) followed by dates in Lancashire, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, da da da, and ending up, at least for this month, in Bristol on the 28th.

They’re “the Led Bib you can dance to", as Moochin’ About’s Selwyn Harris so memorably put it. He’s got a point, with WSP apparently harbouring a deep seated grudge against Rick Wakeman into the bargain I’d add. The band hunkers around the band’s visionary Dave Morecroft at the keyboards in oddly asymmetric and suitably anonymous fashion but that’s part of the plan: it’s all about the band even with all those tricky time signatures and real ale-powered crypto-funk handbrake turns as the band gets into one.

Digging in live in Dalston last summer

There’s a new album out to coincide with the tour featuring the title track, which has already appeared on a collectable EP called Live From London. I’m not sure of the other tracks so far but ‘De-Frienders’, a highlight of last year’s Match & Fuse festival in Dalston, might make the cut as well (looks like ‘Barmy Army might be on it going by their Soundcloud page). If they don’t it’s a case of tracking down WSP’s back catalogue to a local pet shop that may even these days double as a pop-up vinyl emporium and probably offers a bespoke key-cutting service as well. There are worse things than a burn-up on the high street, the band seem to saying, as an artfully de-(be)friended Kershaw might realise if he heard this lot. SG

Full dates at www.worldserviceproject.co.uk
Listen to ‘De-Frienders’ here http://snd.sc/ZaI45Y