Hard-edged straight talking. Kick-a** grooves. Luxurious ballads. Imagine Tom Waits trying to break up a fight between the Chilli Peppers and Grandmaster Flash. Or Gil Scott Heron shooting pool with the Fun Lovin Criminals. Intrigued? This is sleazefunkhiphop, an ode to late nights, cheap thrills, affection and disaffection, pulled off with a wry smile and a good deal of sartorial finesse. Guitarist, songwriter and recording engineer Tom Bainbridge wrote the first batch of Godfather tunes in mid 2002. Realising he had something special on his hands, he put together a bunch of the finest musicians around. The result was a mind-blowing debut album, The Money Shot, released in February 2003. And a live act with humour and attitude. Individually the band members have played with stars from Archie Shepp to Ronan Keating, and at venues from Wembley Arena to Sound Republic. Together, Godfather tell it how it is, in the tightest and funkiest way possible. Promoters, impressarios and groupies should email tom@realdeal