The only New Orleans-style brass band in town, Irish eight-piece Booka Brass Band are renowned for their raucously engaging live performances. Their reputation for pop covers precedes them – we’re talking Crazy in Love, Talk Dirty to Me and even a tasty little rendition of supreme Destiny’s Child hit Survivor.

All of which is why, on paper, the idea of this – their debut EP – might seem a bit hard to swallow: can the incredible, tongue-in-cheek vivacity of their live show truly translate into a cohesive original recording?

The answer, thankfully, is yes.

Right from the swelling intensity of opener Make That Do Noise through to the swinging, spiralling richness of Legion of Boom, the ‘BBB’ EP certainly has a lot to offer. The former of these two is an absolute storm of a song. All fast-paced drums and stupidly danceable refrains, Make That Do Noise recalls the likes of Hypnotic Brass Ensemble in its sheer enticing energy. Meanwhile the latter track starts all soulful and melancholy before crescendoing into something quite glorious.

It is apparent how clearly the group are aware of the potential of each instrument, and what works best to create the most striking, complementary harmonies. Indeed, from its forlorn, military-esque fanfare opening into the ending cascade of triumphantly forceful sounds, Legion of Boom is everything you might hope for from said title.

The previously released Nute is a sweet and subtle number, with its slow, nuanced build into an enthrallingly full timbre of sounds. All of this is underpinned by an intriguing, almost Bossa Novan sway in the bass. Title track BBB is probably the jazziest song on the EP with its jaunty percussive shuffle. It is a pleasantly upbeat listen, though it fails to reach a satisfying conclusion.

As debut EPs go, the ‘BBB’ EP is a solid start. It is a bold, brash and wonderfully polished early taste of an act with longevity beyond their live reputation.

We hope that the Booka Brass Band keep on making that do noise.

The ‘BBB’ EP is available here.