The Astoria; once a converted pickle factory turned movie theatre, and now a famous London concert venue, which has been known sell out some massive acts such as The Rolling Stones, Oasis and Nirvana. But on this Tuesday night, the Astoria was packed, not quite full and mainly with Antipodeans, feverishly awaiting the appearance of Wellington, New Zealand native reggae/funk/dub group, The Black Seeds.

All 8 of the Black Seeds saunter on stage, beers in hand, to a hearty applause from the crowd. Lead singer, Barnaby Weir, gives a relaxed introduction about how well their 5th European tour has been going, and a shout out to any New Zealanders in the crowd - to which he passes on the message "Your mum says hi!"

At first, I’m baffled as to why no one is vying for the position pushed right up against the front railing; instead people are actually moving to where there is more space and letting others have their dancing room, but once the Black Seeds begin it’s obvious that everyone is just there for a good time.
The Black Seeds are made up of a percussionist, a bassist, two guitarists, a saxophonist, a keyboardist, a trumpeter and a drummer, all coming together to form a sound that is both fresh and fun. From the trumpet laden summer anthems to the slower chill out tracks, the Black Seeds manage to bring the carefree holiday feeling to a rainy evening in London.

The Black Seeds’ constant ability to change their sound with each song is impressive to say the least. The boys manage to stay well clear of the "same song, different lyrics" trap that a lot of reggae type bands fall frustratingly into. The mood of the gig is changing constantly, from fun, upbeat numbers to the more subtle, dim-the-lights tracks where they get to show off their remarkable talent as musicians.

Weir takes his time to introduce each member individually during the show. These intros are then followed by inspiring solos from each, notably keyboardist Nigel Patterson, bassist Jim Tarrey and Daniel Weetman on percussion (performing a blistering bongo solo!).

The Black Seeds full 15 song set was a great blend of tracks from their most recent album, Solid Ground, and some of the gems from their previous 3 studio releases. They return for a three song encore, absolutely nailing it with "The Bubble", "So True" and "Cool Me Down", during which a couple of the lads get targeted with a very eager fan's bra. Considering the indifference in the boys' response to this, I wonder if this is a regular occurrence at a Black Seeds show?

There is one aspect of this live show that deserves an entirely separate kudos. Jabin Ward and Andrew Christiansen on saxophone and trumpet/trombone respectively, make an already stellar performance exceptional. From the trombone solo in the opener from Christiansen, the brass battle between the two in the middle of "Fire", the lengthy tune "The Bubble" written entirely by Ward, through to the 2 minute long single breath note from Christiansen in the breakdown of "So True". The Black Seeds are an amazing band, but these guys make their live set truly amazing to witness.

In the last few years, New Zealand has had two major musical exports: Fat Freddy's Drop and Flight of the Conchords. It seems that The Black Seeds are one of the great New Zealand bands that have flown somewhat under the radar internationally, but if tonight's gig was anything to go by - I doubt we can keep them a secret much longer.