30/70 take us through their career-defining 2019 European tour
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24.08.2020

30/70 take us through their career-defining 2019 European tour

Image by Finn Rees

Let the party begin.

Last year, Melbourne’s soul-jazz futurists 30/70 embarked on a Fluid Motion tour of Europe showcasing their well-received 2019 LP of the same name. The 30/70 name is strong at home and even stronger abroad with the five-piece’s place on Bradley Zero’s revered Rhythm Section label the perfect international platform for the band.

As such, the band played headline shows and festivals all across the European continent throughout the tour, and captured their debut live release along the way. Live at La Defénse was captured from 30/70’s first show of the adventure – from ‘Impermanence’ to ‘Addicted’ and beyond, the record largely captures the Fluid Motion album from the year prior. Yet, there are some additional cuts including an intro track, the unreleased ‘TLF’ and 2017’s ‘Steady Hazin’.

To celebrate 2020’s Live at La Defénse LP, we asked 30/70’s lead singer Allysha Joy to take us on a journey through that fateful jaunt, uncovering some of the tour’s most memorable moments.

First stop – Paris

Allysha Joy: Honestly some of the best moments of my life have been touring with 30/70 and our European tour last year was no exception. We kicked it off in Paris at La Défense Jazz Festival and captured this incredible moment we’ve now released on Rhythm Section. It captures some heavy improvisation – the show was one long jam with each tune threading into the next. All of us had been separated across the globe for the couple of months prior, so this was a really special and energetic show.

Worldwide Festival

Joy: Playing and just being at France’s Worldwide Festival will forever be one of the greatest moments of my life. We played on the beach with the Rhythm Section family, jumping in Sète’s warm waters between sets and drinking Aperol spritz and espresso martinis all day and night. It’s a dream festival – so intimate, so real and just about good music, good people, the dancefloor and no bullshit.

Standing front and centre with the Worldwide FM family listening to Leroy Burgess sing his 1983 classic ‘Heartbreaker’ honestly broke my heart.

30/70 manager Maddie Stephenson and band bassist Matt Hayes at Worldwide

Festivals the highlight

Joy: We played a bunch of headline shows, selling out the Jazz Cafe and getting bussed around the UK, Italy and Germany, but festival shows are always the highlight. Playing at Love Supreme alongside some of our idols – Chick Corea, Lauryn Hill, Louie Vega, then standing backstage to watch Kamaal Williams jam it out was so incredibly inspiring.

There’s so many beautiful memories that are so fast, turbulent and inspiring, then you get back in the bus and do it again the next night.

The band at Love Supreme in East Sussex, UK

An important album at an important time

Joy: Playing with 30/70 gives me so much purpose and joy and I am missing it so deeply in this time of lockdown and isolation. So this is our offering to you, the live music fans, our European family and all the dancers. This album captures the electricity, energy and the love and joy of jazz, breaks, soul and family. Bless xx

Drummer Ziggy Zeitgeist prepares for the band’s Rhythm Section Returns show

30/70’s new album, Live at La Defénse, is out now through Rhythm Section. Check it out via Bandcamp

All images taken by Finn Rees.

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