Mr Jukes shares live session of 'Somebody New' - premiere

The brilliant Mr Jukes album - the new project from Bombay Bicycle Club frontman Jack Steadman - was released this week.

He recorded some ace live versions at Church Studios of from the album, including one of my personal favourites: 'Somebody New.'

Our critic Andy Gill says of the album: "For his debut as Mr Jukes, former Bombay Bicycle Club frontman Jack Steadman uses deftly-applied jazz samples, restoring his youthful interest in that genre after years in the indie salt-mines."

​Check out the live session of 'Somebody New' below:

Q&A with Mr Jukes

What have you been listening to recently?

A recent trip to the Disk Union in Shibuya, Tokyo turned me on to some amazing records including a compilation of songs by an incredible Mexican composer called Gerardo Batiz. Also loving everything Moses Boyd is doing at the moment.

This is a very different sound to what Bombay Bicycle Club fans will be used to - what made you want to go in this direction and how did you get such a great band together?

I’ve been playing this kind of music since before Bombay actually. My first instrument was the bass guitar and I was playing mostly jazz and funk.

A saxophonist who played with BBC sourced my band for me. He’s very well connected in the UK jazz scene and I just told him exactly what I wanted in each player.

What are your plans for the rest of 2017?

We’ve got a festival in Japan next month and then we go on a UK/European tour in September. I can’t wait to play these songs live, without electronics or samples and with a bit more freedom/unpredictability to them.

What was the first gig you ever played and what’s been the best so far?

First show I played at the 12 Bar Club on Denmark Street in London. I was playing bass and yes it was a very cheesy funk band. Best so far has to be Clockenflap festival in Hong Kong with BBC. I was born in Hong Kong and could actually see the hospital where I was born from the stage.

God First, the debut album from Mr Jukes, is out now