By Carron Stacey, A Humdrum Mum

WHEN?: 25 April 2026, tour runs through 9 May 2026

Hackney Colliery Band (HCB) are a jazz band that fuses electronics with a double percussion outfit.

• Read on for reasons including how you must follow HCB for a real soulful jazz experience

We knew them from their Prodigy medley and No Diggity cover, and Mr H has a few of their albums.

One more after tonight, Collaborations Vol II, signed by all the members, even making their trombone player late as he hotfooted it straight from our gig to Ronnie Scott’s. They are so much more than their covers though.

If anyone else other than Mr and Mrs H would like to make a slow foray into jazz in their mid 50s, they need to look no further than HBC.

Mesmerising on stage, their two drummers (one seated covering more bass, and one standing attacking the rest with an energy that you have to match) transport you otherwhere with horns and reeds, and even using conch shells as trumpet.

A few collabs with a beautiful singer whose name escapes me show a similar trajectory to Ezra Collective, with whom HCB have themselves collaborated with. 

A moving moment gives us ABBA’s Dancing Queen in a true HCB style; after band leader Steve Pretty’s mum passed away having said they never played anything she knew. 

An encore of Toto’s Africa has the ensemble marching through the audience (conch shells sadly not used at this moment).

For a real soulful jazz experience, you must follow Hackney Colliery Band. 

• Pictures via Facebook courtesy and A Humdrum Mum. Tickets
• Read more from Carron at her blog A Humdrum Mum
• Have you seen any of these shows? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
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