Even by the band’s own standards, however, their latest studio album 1982 is multidimensional. It shoots off in every direction, whether via searing Afrobeat, mind-melting jazz breakdowns or moody electronic experiments. Featuring the singles ‘Holy Smoke’, Waiting on a Train’ and the BBC 6 Music playlisted tracks ‘SAMO’ and ‘Afro Dizzy’, the album was recorded by the core ACR line up of Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop and Donald Johnson, alongside Tony Quigley, Matthew Steele and one of Manchester’s fastest-rising musicians, Ellen Beth Abdi: the band’s pleasure at being together in the studio is audible.
