Thursday 6th July - Rich O'Brien Project - £7/5 students

Heralding from the suburbs of Bristol, Rich comes from a family of musicians that draw influences from an array of differing musical styles, ranging from Jazz, Funk and Soul, to Rock/Pop, Blues and Hip-hop. Aside from being an active member in a number of projects such as Mango Factory, Trip The Switch, Murrumbidgee, In Extremis and The Trish Brown Band, his latest solo project, self-titled The Rich O'Brien Project, merges grooves reminiscent of a Marcus Miller or Soulive record with ambient melodies that explore a range of musical styles.

The Rich O'Brien Project is a formidable 5/6 piece Nu-soul/Jazz/Funk outfit based in Bristol, UK. The project features the beautiful and charismatic compositions of bass player and leader Rich O'Brien, whose playing merits include collaborations with Roni Size, Joker, Robert Brian (Siouxsie Sioux), James Morton, Jay Wilcox, William Cartwright and Celestine (from BBC's "The Voice"). Following from their acclaimed award winning debut album Hot Potato, their latest release Horizonsoffers a modern blend of deep 'grooves for moves' with soul-drenched melodies reminiscent of smoke-filled jazz clubs. Channelling a cocktail of influences from Marcus Miller to D’Angelo and Soulive, the Rich O'Brien Project appeals to both astute listeners and dance floor goers alike. "This is unquestionably music that is destined to fill, and captivate, jazz and soul clubs the length and breadth of the country and beyond." (John Toolan, 2012).

With the release of the highly acclaimed new album Horizons, and extensive UK tour dates planned throughout 2014 , The Rich O'Brien Project is already beginning to create quite a stir in the British Nu-Soul, Jazz and Funk scene.

As a 1st class honours Music graduate, Rich is an experienced performer and composer, and can read chord charts and musical notation to a high standard. Rich has also taken part in various classical compositions and performances, including regular choir concerts at Bath Abbey, compositions for a string quintet and for film scores.