GoGo Penguin

GoGo Penguin lands at The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, on 18 May 2026. Formed in Manchester, the trio of pianist Chris Illingworth, double bassist Nick Blacka and drummer Jon Scott tugs the piano-trio format toward a lean, rhythmic language shaped by minimalism and electronic music. Repetitive figures bloom into shifting grooves; the bass carries both melody and pulse; the drums thread breakbeat accents through acoustic textures. On stage, they play with contrast and momentum, building pieces patiently before flipping patterns and dynamics in sharp relief.

From early Gondwana releases to Blue Note albums like Man Made Object and A Humdrum Star, through the self-titled record and the recent Everything Is Going to Be OK, GoGo Penguin has honed material that thrives live, less about solos than about interlocking parts. Expect a set that reconnects older staples such as v2.0 with newer tracks, reworked for the room: crisp piano loops, melodic low end, and drums that slide from trip hop sway to fractured, driving pulses. The trio’s acoustic setup brings the feel of the club as much as the quiet focus of chamber music, without losing the immediacy of a band in full motion.