The Apples are a musical metropolis, with band members hailing from Tel Aviv, New York, Jerusalem and Haifa. The nine piece band play funk, jazz and groove and include a drummer, bassist, four brass, two D.J.s and a sound console operator. The inspired chemistry and varied backgrounds of the musicians that make up The Apples mix the indigenous rhythms of the Middle East and the melodies of European Jewish heritage on top of American R’n’B.

Each member of the band has a different musical background so The Apples is a great opportunity to bring it all together. Students at Jerusalem’s Rubin Academy of Music joined with Southern Tel Aviv’s burgeoning underground scene and Haifa’s creative jazz/ethno mentality and together began exploring spontaneous, groove-based, jazz flavored danceable improvised music.

As interest in the band grew, jams became parties, became events, became international tours. Recorded documents were sought out, so they began caging their live creations on records: The band’s Attention! L.P. and single (2006) led to London-based Freestyle Records, through which in 2007 the band released their notorious version of Rage Against the Machine’s Killing in the Name Of, followed by the Buzzin’ About LP (2008), and The Power E.P. (2009).

The Apple’s final effort for Freestyle was the Kings L.P. (2010) which saw the band write music for and collaborate with two music kings – funk legend Fred Wesley, the American jazz and funk trombonist, best known for his work with James Brown in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as Parliament-Funkadelic and world music guru Shlomo Bar. A 7″ single representing both collaborations, In The Air/Batash (Alwoojdi) was also released.

The Apples have become a firm favourite on the festival circuit, with their covers of Rage Against The Machine and their spine tingling tribute to Amy Winehouse You Know I’m No Good. They’ve also been picking up high profile fans along the way, including D.J.s Annie Mac, Zane Lowe, Huey Morgan, A Skillz and Mr. Scruff.

The Apples put out their fifth album, Fly on It last year. It was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios and finds the band closer than ever to capturing their signature explosive live sound on tape. They will be heading out on their European tour this month and stop off at Eric’s on Mathew Street on Thursday 2nd May.

 Tickets for The Apples are available from Eric’s Box office or by telephone on 0151 2369994. Tickets are priced at £10.