Live Review: Roy Ayers, Stephen Ferris

A suave and soulful DJ set by FBi presenter Stephen Ferris warmed the crowd up, moving through a diverse array of crate gold from the golden age of the second wave of soul.

Roy Ayers is a sight to be seen. Billed as a living legend, the 76-year-old "Godfather of neo-soul" took to the stage with a tenacity few in his age bracket could muster. A heaving Basement audience found a nice surprise, hearing the once-smooth voice transformed into a husky and raspy cry that was stronger than expected.

Famous for his acid-jazz turned neo-soul tunes, Ayers proved a tour de force - muted by age yet still standing. His vibraphone skills and his voice might have dimmed but the groovy anthems of the '70s kept the crowd engaged. Songs like Everybody Loves The Sunshine and Searchin' were drawn out to be at least eight-minute jams between a subpar bassist whose extraneous solos were a strain to listen to. The keyboardist and drummer worked themselves into a therapeutic sweat, giving all that they had, but the band seemed to lack some unity.

Ayers would chip in at times during the drawn out instrumental breaks, tapping away at a cowbell in a typical seniors' moment - rarely in time, soft and superfluous. Yet, the audience showed their gratefulness, acknowledging this feat of the tireless veteran. While the songs were enjoyable to recognise and sing and boogie along to, unfortunately they proved a little tiresome - especially when they were stretched beyond reasonable with the band showing little synergy. After an hour and ten minutes Ayers was ready to sell some CDs, pulled out a duffle bag and sat down on stage as the house lights illumined a confused audience.