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The Ray Mann Three if you are unaware is the latest musical project of Ray Mann, former integral member of Kid Confucius. To further inform you, they share the good time/party/fun vibe of that “god, how many members have they got” collective, but in a quieter, simpler, less rehearsed kinda way. They’re a three piece devoted to ‘minimalist soul’ (self-described), pushed along by a funky yet bustling rhythm section and the hand slapping, finger picking, tooled down guitar of Ray. They’re a good time band, designed to get the ladies in the room jivin’ with something a little less than vigour. On this occasion, in a suitably sparse Jive, they succeeded, taking their simple funk grooves, adding a dash of soul (more of the Curtis Mayfield variety than anything else, as evidenced by the choice of house music) and having a good ol’ solid chill in their comfy chairs on stage. On this occasion they were touring their Opa Opa EP.
Starting the night, the three were ably supported by New White Sneakers a soul/funk/hip-hop fusiony band who when they weren’t going into laconic and uninspiring rap breaks, were powered along by a wicked set of pipes from their front man, a less than steady groove and a tightness all their own. Talent and potential may have outweighed results, but there isn’t much better music to chill to than the smoothest of brassy soul.
The three followed swiftly after, giving the impression that the night was not to be of the long variety. Dressed in what seems a uniform for the band, that of waistcoats, fat ties, dress pants all in a combination of colours ranging between white, tan and brown the three were if nothing else, casually elegant. Ray Mann even forgoing shoes feeling that the warm Jive air and his smooth soul tunes would provide better warmth than socks and shoes ever could. This review may have already entered the realm of overly descriptive in a physical and visual sense but, there is simply more to say on the matter than Ray Mann’s simple, pleasant and inoffensive “minimalist soul”. His modelling of his voice on Curtis was obvious and his slightly unusual guitar style was interesting, but this is music for a late Sunday afternoon. It’s enjoyable without ripping your mind apart, it’s sexy without actually taking you to bed and its chilled to the point that it’s a little overly rough around the edges. That could be attributed to the fact that the band hadn’t even jammed for two months forcing them to stop during a couple of songs, having a giggle between each other and making a short, brief excuse for each fuck up. It wasn’t too detrimental, it added to the casual, relaxed atmosphere. There was no pressure around, the people just wanted some little groves that they could dance around, and they got ‘em.
I’m no convert to the Ray Mann Three but I’m no naysayer either. If your into your ‘don’t rock the boat’ kinda soul, hit ‘em up. They might just be that Sunday afternoon beer garden band that actually goes ahead and makes it kind of big on the radio, or some such place. If they’re one thing they’re easy good times.
to listen to their music now on 
