Gabby Young And Other Animals

The exuberant sound of ‘circus swing’
When Wiltshire’s very own Gabby Young had the full glare of The Guardian’s spotlight thrust upon her at the turn of the year (in the inevitable ones-to-watch-for-2010 feature), the paper described her band’s music as «a universally comprehensible whirl of jazz, raggle-taggle folk and Eastern European influences». Those 12 words pretty much nailed the spirited noise this bunch make, although Gabby’s own description - ‘circus swing’ - also takes care of their clear predilection for the big top. With bright scarlet hair and a vibrant dress sense to challenge all but the most powerful sunglasses, Gabby is certainly no shrinking violet. But while those torch-singer vocals take centre-stage, her Other Animals band isn’t slow in coming forward either, its collective paws clutching an array of instruments including trombone, accordion, trumpet, mandolin, banjo and clarinet. Bold, bawdy and brilliant, exuberance is the order of the day at a Gabby Young gig. Expect very little navel-gazing here.