From the moment the three-piece horn section ignites over the bubbling, agitated syncopation of drums, bass and guitar the sound of ‘soul Brasileiro’, in which the spirits of Earth, Wind & Fire, Airto and George Duke seamlessly blend, takes hold of an audience peppered with a fair amount of expats from the land of the sugar loaf. Much of the material is from last year’s Far Out release Super Nova Samba Funk and is largely on a par with back catalogue glories such as ‘Vidigal’, which is the killer blow of a lengthy encore. While vocalists Aleh Ferreira and London guest Heidi Vogel make the second set more party-hearty, especially during the call and response passages, the real star of the show is more heard than seen.

Tucked away at the back of the stage is Nilson Batata, but his percussion galvanizes every groove of the night. High-pitched cowbells tingle on the offbeat while the cuíca, whirring away like a hyperactive accordion, becomes a strident voice atop the brass, running over energetic three or four bar phrases that enhance the whole band’s singing character. It is what Rastas might call a ‘small axe’ and they, too, know something about freedom sounds.

– Kevin Le Gendre