If you’ve seen the sprinkling of shows so far by Trip Dress you’ll know this is a great band. Maybe even an exceptional one.

Imagine Tom Waits on steroids, Beefheart jamming with the Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Seasick Steve doing Bristol triphop. Add shakes of psychedelia and experimental sonicism. Wait awhile and let the formula brew, finishing it off finally with a healthy glug of improvistion and punk attitude. That’s the TripDress sound - broken blues, nu-funk, industrial disco and puke-sodden roots music.

No rehearsals, musical brinkmanship and a love of the unexpected all add to the wonder of a band that only plays live - no CDs or Myspace here. Riffs and grooves are thrown around carelessly like grenades, and scything devilishly urgent musical textures emerge as a result. There’s always an intimacy though to their performances, inviting you the listener to feel part of the musicial exploration. And always in the middle of it all, a chocolate chainsaw voice singing the darkest shade of blues you’ve never heard

Call it Punk Blues, Dirty blues, Swamp funk, Fusion boogie - whatever. This is vital music that at its best literally chews up your heart and spits it out right back at you. Yes, this is a great band alright, maybe even an exceptional one, and it deserves your attention.