Photography: Josh Ma – Words: Ken Magno
Ezra Collective light up the Sydney Opera House in a vivid display of pure magical-musical energy, captivating audiences from all walks of life and uniting the mass together through the only language that is understood by all; pure, joyful, upbeat music.
Sydney Opera house is usually home to some of the most extravagant displays of art to grace Sydney, be it contemporary dance or ballet, theatrical displays or musicians looking to utilise the acoustics of the performance space inside the venue. Ezra Collective sought to do something a bit different; the London based afrobeats / jazz quintet came only to tear the roof down, spread their message of joy through music and to stir up the biggest party that Sydney has ever seen.
From the start of their set, the audience knew they were in for one hell of a night. The lights lifted, and the sound of horns could be heard blowing despite the empty stage. As the lights shifted everyone’s focus toward’s the back of the room, saxophonist James Mollison and trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi could be seen leading the set as the rhythm section of the band walked in; bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones and the larger-than-life drummer-slash-bandleader Femi Koleoso. As the group united, every member of the audience began to rise and move, as if being led in a hypnotic trance by the pied piper’s of the jazz scene themselves.
The setup of the stage was minimal, having only the instruments, amplifiers and some flashy lights to control the atmosphere of the concert hall, though this was all they needed. Ezra Collective is the type of band that knew how to capture the attention of those around them, whether they’re playing in underground jazz bars or on the streets, the collective is one of those rare generational talents that people are naturally drawn to, no matter what background.
Throughout the night (and much to my own amazement, constantly commenting “Can’t believe I’m seeing this happen inside the Opera House”), the band members would make their way into the audience, causing mass hysteria from the audience to start up dance circles and start jumping around as if no unspoken ‘no moshing inside the opera house’ rule didn’t exist. The night was carried by nothing but the music, not a single word was spoken outside of the usual “How we feeling Sydney” that was belted out by the band members throughout the night and by the rhythmic screams from the audience. Their title from their hit 2024 release “God Gave Me Feet for Dancing” plastered on the backs of many audience goers was a slogan that came to life, as even the most resilient of members were soon tapping their feet.
Ezra Collective at the Sydney Opera House was one of those nights that you walk away from thinking “what did I just witness” – the infectious energy carrying out as the crowd spilled into the street with a more syncopated rhythm in their step, while some (such as myself) spent the few moments after the show catching their breath in the freezing Sydney winter. The only way to summarise the feeling of the night is to go back to their best hits album title – “EZ to the World”.
