Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on January 2013

When does a house band become a “real band”? The New Mastersounds started out as the house band at guitarist Eddie Roberts’ club The Cooker in Leeds, England. One thing led to another, and soon the rare-groove outfit was backing the likes of Maceo Parker and Art Neville. A favorite of crowds in Japan, the NMS have just issued Out on the Faultline, out here on respected indie imprint P-Vine. The disc features guest performances by the Jazz Mafia Horns and Papa Mali, and for the first time a smattering of vocal stylings from the band, which consists of Roberts, keyboardist Joe Tatton, drummer Simon Allen and bassist Pete Shand.

Club Quattro, Jan 16. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.newmastersounds.com