Headfirst Editor's Pick
"Sell out warning! Like your favourite Madlib cuts come to life, Surprise Chef feel like you're trailing the most epic crate digging session ever. Marrying 70s funkxploitation grooves with instrumental stoner soul and dusky boombap kicks, they’re flooding the global consciousness with classic fills beamed from another era. Highly unmissable FFO: Khruangbin, 30/70, David Axelrod, Dilla, BadBadNotGood."
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A gig held at The Lantern on Friday 12th September. The event starts at 20:00.
Erratic Batting Presents...
Surprise Chef (Aus)
FFO: Roy Ayers, David Axelrod, J Dilla, BadBadNotGood
+ Support
Friday 12th Sept 2025
The Lantern @ Bristol Beacon
https://surprisechef.bandcamp.com
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Surprise Chef’s music is based on evoking mood; their vivid arrangements utilize time and space to build soundscapes that invite the listener into their world. The quintet’s distinct sound pulls from 70s film scores, the funkier side of jazz, and the samples that form the foundation of hip hop. They push the boundaries of instrumental soul and funk with their own approach honed by countless hours in the studio, studying the masters, and perhaps most importantly, the ‘tyranny of distance’ that dictates a unique perspective to their music.
Hailing from just outside of Melbourne, Australia, their self proclaimed “moody shades of instrumental jazz-funk” have a bit of everything: punchy drums, infectious keys, rhythm guitar you might hear on a Studio One record, and flute lines that could be from a Blue Note session. But when you step back and take in the entirety of their sound and approach, you’ll hear and see a group greater than the sum of its parts.
Since the release of Surprise Chef’s 2022 album, Education & Recreation they have been
touring across the US, Europe, and Australia selling out shows and cementing themselves as a
force to be reckoned with.
New album announcement on the way!
Support yet to be announced.
----
Keep it erratic: linktr.ee/ErraticBatting
Entry requirements: 14+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio
Surprise Chef (Aus)
FFO: Roy Ayers, David Axelrod, J Dilla, BadBadNotGood
+ Support
Friday 12th Sept 2025
The Lantern @ Bristol Beacon
https://surprisechef.bandcamp.com
---
Surprise Chef’s music is based on evoking mood; their vivid arrangements utilize time and space to build soundscapes that invite the listener into their world. The quintet’s distinct sound pulls from 70s film scores, the funkier side of jazz, and the samples that form the foundation of hip hop. They push the boundaries of instrumental soul and funk with their own approach honed by countless hours in the studio, studying the masters, and perhaps most importantly, the ‘tyranny of distance’ that dictates a unique perspective to their music.
Hailing from just outside of Melbourne, Australia, their self proclaimed “moody shades of instrumental jazz-funk” have a bit of everything: punchy drums, infectious keys, rhythm guitar you might hear on a Studio One record, and flute lines that could be from a Blue Note session. But when you step back and take in the entirety of their sound and approach, you’ll hear and see a group greater than the sum of its parts.
Since the release of Surprise Chef’s 2022 album, Education & Recreation they have been
touring across the US, Europe, and Australia selling out shows and cementing themselves as a
force to be reckoned with.
New album announcement on the way!
Support yet to be announced.
----
Keep it erratic: linktr.ee/ErraticBatting
Entry requirements: 14+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio
Other soul gigs
— Lost Horizon
uk garage
jungle
R&B
underground hip hop
funk
