Banji stands out above average guitar bands thanks to its original sound ★★★☆☆

You would think that the Utrecht band Banji suffered a lot from corona. Banji first stood out in 2019, with the fun and fresh single Listen. And the band had more upbeat songwork at the ready for a first series of small-scale shows.

And then the halls were closed for almost two years. Banji still played some live streams, including for the Groningen Eurosonic / Noorderslag. But the pandemic prevented Banji from developing smoothly in the circuit.

Nevertheless, thanks to the lockdown, the band was able to pay extra attention to a first album, and puzzle for a long time in the rehearsal room and studio. It came out last month Freshcakes is a wonderful debut. Songs like TalkieWalkie and Loudmouth are so catchy and cleverly put together that you can hardly imagine that these are the very first songs of a new Dutch indie band.

Fortunately, Banji is now fully playing. In the Utrecht stage De Helling, Banji jumps above the mowing field of the average guitar bands because of that original sound: funky alternative pop and hip hop, with many hints to Prince and his nice crunchy bass lines and dancing keyboards. The single Dogbreath is just as light-footed live as on record, because the voice of singer and guitarist Morris Brandt is overtaken left and right by the distorted smurf voices of the keyboardists and two female singers.

There is still some tension on Banji: it takes a while before the fun wins over the concentration. And it is also a pity that the singers are so hidden at the back of the stage, also hidden behind a set piece. But Banji will get out of that discomfort. They’re just getting started.