CATEGORIZE this lot if you dare. Some have tried, calling the Manchester band's music North Country and Western, which is a clever play on words, but it's still a country mile short of the mark.

Perhaps knowing that the Travelling Band is fond of impromptu jam sessions in the middle of fields and records on the Isle of Mull, might help. Because this band is firmly rooted in the new age tradition, but they blur so many boundaries and fly off in so many directions it's hard to keep up with them. This is uplifting and exhilarating stuff, helped in no small measure by producer Lestyn Polson's knack of capturing the band's epic, explosive live sound.

That said their power ballads, especially Sticks and Stones, are among the stand out tracks. In short, The Big Defreeze is joyous, heady and infectious. It also proves that the album format, when at its best, is a more satisfying experience than Spotify could ever hope to be. The sleeve notes say 'This is best served cold. And loud'. Quite so.

The Travelling Band play Leeds Brudenell Club on October 3.