Namaste Jake: Room To Groove.

Namaste Jake launch The Underground Groove at the Elephant & Wheelbarrow on Friday.

London’s calling for local trio Namaste Jake, who are heading to the mother country following a final Brisbane gig to get their new Underground Grooves EP out and about.

“The show at the Elephant & Wheelbarrow in the Valley on Friday is our last show in Australia for this year before we head off to Britain,” explains bassist Kevin. “Between releasing the CD and touring we haven't had the chance to play around Brisbane much lately, so it will be great to play to our Brisbane crowd once more before we go. The night will basically be serving as somewhat of a farewell gig, and we'll be having a full CD launch when we arrive back in February.”

What’s taking you to the UK? What are you expecting from the trip? Other than being cold…

“Eddie, our guitarist and vocalist, had previously spent three years playing in Manchester, so he got to know the scene fairly well. The live scene and market in Britain is certainly a lot bigger than Australia. It seems English booking agents have really taken to our style and we're looking forward to playing to a completely different scene.”

For a trio Namaste Jake have a huge sound. Is it difficult to fill out the spaces in your music without adding extra members? How do you pull it off live? Do the songs require much work to go from the EP to the stage?

“The big sound seems to come naturally, it's not something that we're really conscious of. We do use quite a lot of effects on guitar and bass, which seems to expand the sound. Jason's drumming is more of a jazz-influenced style, which tends to fill the sound out and our use of three-part vocal harmonies further adds to the dynamics. Rikki (studio keyboard guy) occasionally joins us which really adds a new dimension when we play live.”

What’s on the horizon upon your return to Brisbane?

“The first thing we'll do is hit the beach to thaw out from the English winter. We'll have an official launch for the EP and we're already planning another east-coast tour. We're also itching to get back into the studio again. The hardest thing about recording an EP was leaving out songs, and with more than a few albums' worth of material, we're keen to get more tracks onto disc.”