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Waldo's Gift

Resident Artist – October 2024 to March 2025

Three people stand in a dark room lit with green light

Experimental jazz trio with elements of prog-metal and math-rock

Waldo’s Gift is a dynamic force in UK experimental music, hailing from Bristol.

The trio will release their debut album, ‘Malcolm’s Law’, on January 22, 2025, via Ishmael Ensemble’s label, Severn Songs. After gaining recognition through live performances and radio support from BBC 6Music and BBC Radio 1, the album showcases their chaotic yet captivating sound.

The lead single, ‘Candifloss,’ embodies their ethos of blending genres, merging jazz with elements of prog-metal and math-rock. Drummer James Vine emphasizes their approach: each track is a single live take, capturing the raw energy and improvisation that define their live shows.

Formed during a weekly residency at Bristol’s Gallimaufry, the band built a devoted following from 2017 to 2020. Their intense performances often featured playful, chaotic interactions with the audience, contributing to their unique sound. The album reflects this journey, with tracks like ‘This One Is Improvised,’ highlighting their spontaneous creativity.

Waldo’s Gift has also gained acclaim through innovative live reworkings of artists like Radiohead and Aphex Twin, attracting new fans and support from tastemakers. Their captivating performances at festivals, including Glastonbury and Copenhagen Jazz Festival, showcase their evolution as a band.

Waldo’s Gift are a Resident Artists until March 2025 when they will embark on their first UK headline tour, poised to make a significant impact on the music scene with their thrilling debut album.

To sound like us is to be a sweaty, chaotic mess, on the precipice of falling apart.

Waldo’s Gift