South London two-piece O are a recent addition to the Speedy Wunderground label, known for their gift of finding and nurturing new talent. Formed during the first lockdown, O (Joseph Henwood, Tash Keary) started improvising together at home with just acoustic sax and drums before experimenting further with guitar pedals, amps and studio effects units, all pushing the limits of their two instruments. ‘Ogo’ is their debut single, introducing their improvised, exciting new sound with complete gusto. Playing live is a huge part of O and this single teases you into wanting more, with its fast tempo drumming, surprise sound effects, and uncertainty of where the song is going next. Ogo is jazz, heavy beats and loud noises but the go-go-go percussion gives it a world music vibe at times. There’s a lot going on and I like it.
How does a track like Ogo come about? Sax player Joe Henwood explains; “We wrote OGO in a soundcheck in Oslo, whilst on tour supporting black midi. It had hit minus 5 outside so we started jamming something fast to try and keep our hands warm.” It does sound urgent, purposeful and gloveless. Ogo has the spirit of ‘Bitches Brew’ and a rave all rolled into one. I can’t wait to see how I dance to it live.
You can see O in London on 17 November at Peckham Audio
