Emerging out of the jazz scene of Leeds, Plantfood are a fierce musical force. A 6-piece comprising JJ Petrie (percussion), Ruben Maric (keyboards), Joe van der Meulen (tenor saxophone), Woolley (baritone saxophone), Finn Hamilton (drums) and Woody Hayden (bass), Plantfood released last week their debut album, Carnivores. The six tracks on the album mix elements of jazz, punk, and Afro-Latin, West and North African grooves, all colliding ferociously to capture the explosive energy they are known for. The circle of life, and cycles within nature serve as Carnivores’s thematic focus, with the band “envision[ing] an apocalyptic future where the plants rise to power, taking over and consuming all around them”, as the press release describes. “The music paints these chaotic and contrasting scenes with a heavy and cataclysmic sound palette.” Carnivores also offers “moments of vulnerability, hope and spirituality as the balance of earth’s natural order is restored.”

For a taste of what’s on offer, here’s ‘Executive Decision’, one of the intoxicating tracks on the album.

Carnivores is out now through Bridge The Gap